Twisting Fate
by Winged Lady Colette
Summary: Sasuke goes to a time where his family is alive and he has the attention of a certain blond haired Hokage candidate. Yaoi.
1. The New Place

**Author's Note: So, yeah, here is another story. I know. I suck. But I'm really liking this idea and had to get it out today. This won't be in tandum with the story line, so if you don't like that, I suggest not reading it. Okay? Also, there will be OOC-ness. Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!**

**Warnings: Language, maybe. A bit of violence.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea was brought to me by RedGoddessEclipse and asked me to write it for her. :3**

**Word Count: 5,388**

Sasuke never thought that it would turn out this way. Thinking back to when he was just a little boy, he remembered the stories his mom and older brother read to him before bed time. No matter the trails and heartache, when the heros all got together and formed a seemingly unstoppable force to be reckoned with, they would all pull through in the end. No matter what, there was always a chance that they would pull through, regardless of how peril-less it may seem.

Naruto too, seemed so sure that they would somehow pull through this battle with the Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya. He would look at Sasuke with large, sky blue eyes, grinning broadly and offering Sasuke a thumbs up before charging up a rasengan and rushing toward the long white haired woman. It was usually something that Sasuke would scoff at and roll his eyes, doing his best to ignore the blond, but this time was different. He was a bit relieved by Naruto's certainty in their success like the possibility of them losing never crossed the boy's mind. It was him, Naruto, Sakura and their sensei, Kakashi.

They were a team. Team 7. For a long time, that hadn't meant anything to him. At least, not as much as it probably should have, but now at the face of this great adversity, he finds solace in knowing that his childhood teammates and sensei were at his side, fighting with him.

He wanted to believe that they would somehow be able to full this off. He wanted to have faith in his long time rival and reluctant-on-his-part friend, pink haired teammate and sensei. He wasn't much for faith and belief, but he had hoped. Hoped that, like in all the stories he was read to as a kid, this would all turn out to be okay.

But hoping wasn't enough.

And Naruto was wrong.

Kaguya was too powerful. There was only one thing that they could do.

"Save this future!" Naruto said, grabbing hold of Sasuke's shoulders. Behind the blond haired boy, Sakura and Kakashi were jumping around, dodging the long white whip like strands of hair.

"What are you talking about, moron?" Sasuke grunts, trying to pull away from Naruto's iron-tight grip. Over Naruto's shoulder, Sasuke watches as the hair wraps around Sakura's waist and trapping her right arm to her side, lifting her up into the air before throwing her hard back down on the ground. She doesn't immediately get back up.

"Sasuke," Naruto says, strangely solemnly, pulling Sasuke's eyes back over to the blond boy, "Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei will hold her off long enough for me to send you off."

Sasuke shakes his head, eyebrows pulling together tightly. "What the hell are you saying? Have you lost faith?" He narrows his eyes. "How strange of you, moron?" He couldn't believe his ears. Was Naruto really telling him to give up? Perhaps not in those words, but the underlying message was clear. And very, very disturbing.

Naruto doesn't smile, he just stares back at Sasuke solemnly. "We can't survive this. I need you to ensure that things change. This is a one way trip, so make it worth it, okay?"

Sasuke continues shaking his head. "Why are you doing this? What are you saying? We don't have time for this. Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-"

"Sasuke!" Naruto snaps, making the blue haired boy stop. He had never seen the blond like this. "Sasuke," Naruto says again softly, "you have to go. Sakura and Kakashi-sensei are all the way over there. And Kurama and myself together can only perform the jutsu on others. I need you to go, Sasuke. It has to be you," Naruto says, putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke stares at Naruto's blue eyes, trying to understand. "What are you saying?" Sasuke whispers softly, feeling his stomach sinking deep into the soles of his feet and a painful constriction in his chest. He never expected to hear this, not from anyone. Especially not Naruto. Behind the blond, the dead Goddess drops down like a heavy bolder where Sakura was laying prone. The pink haired girl would have surely been crushed to death had Kakashi not suddenly appeared at her side and jumped out of the way quickly, their female teammate laying limp in his arms.

"I'm saying..." Naruto says softly, squeezing Sasuke's shoulder and returning his attention to the blond. "I'm saying, it was awesome knowing you, Sasuke. You're my brother after all." He smiles. Not a Naruto smile. A sad, goodbye smile. Sasuke starts shaking his head again. "Sasuke, if you remember anything from these moments, remember this: I am _not _sending you into the past, do you understand?"

"What are you doing, Naruto? What are you-" Sakura's moving again, jumping and dodging the Rabbit Goddess with Kakashi. Both are measurably slower than before.

"You'll be fine," Naruto says, looking deep into Sasuke's eyes. "I have faith in you. I believe in you." Naruto is suddenly surrounded by a familiar golden light, his right hand, branded with the light sun of the Yang seal, grabs hold of Sasuke's left hand, branded with the Yin seal. A strange shock goes through them and Naruto grins, looking passed Sasuke as someone stands behind the boy. "You'll be great," Naruto says confidently. "Believe it!"

At the last moment, Sasuke felt as if the presence of the Sage was at his back, as if offering his own help. Sasuke wanted to rip his hand from Naruto's, his heart pounding in his chest, wanting to yell and scream at the blond to _stop being a fucking idiot, _but he doesn't get the chance. Naruto smiles, one more time, as if able to read Sasuke's mind. He winks and mouths, "Later, Teme."

Everything goes black.

* * *

Sasuke opened his eyes, feeling dazed and unbalanced. Never before had Sasuke felt quite like this. It was like his chakra was swirling around in his head, bouncing around inside his brain. His body is pulsing painfully and it feels like he just spent the whole night getting a royal beat down by a dead goddess and the five Hokage and their respective Water, Wind, Lightning and Earth counterparts.

Sasuke sits up slowly, his entire body aching just from the minimal movement. His head feels heavy and the moment he's upright, he turns a bit to puke next to himself. It was surprising he was able to puke at all, since he hadn't eaten in at least over a day. It's mostly stomach acid. When he finishes, unable to puke anymore, his body feels weak and numb. He has to put his left hand on the warm grass to hold him up from falling into his bile.

The last of the Uchiha spits a bit to clear his mouth from the burning bile that had filled it just moments ago. He glares at the offending waste from his body and pushes himself away, wondering why he's feeling so strange. His arm holding him up is shaking just from holding his weight, which makes him growl under his breath in annoyance.

He gives himself a vicious shake to try and stabilize his trembling limbs. Putting his hands on his knees, Sasuke pushes himself to his feet, glaring at the ground when his balance tilts back and forth unsteadily. He leans against a nearby tree to keep himself on his feet, reaching up with his left hand to rub his pounding temple when he spots the dark, moon-like marking on his left palm.

In his mind's eye, he recalls the last thing Naruto did, putting Sasuke's left and Naruto's right hands together. Whatever he did, made this power pointless. Without Naruto, he could do nothing with it. And when he forced himself to feel through the thick fog in his brain for his childhood teammate, he couldn't find him. But he could sense the power of the Yang seal.

As if warily, Sasuke slowly turns his right hand over to see the light, sun Yang seal on his right palm. Sasuke presses his back hard against the tree behind him, making him feel worse than before.

Naruto must have done it. Must have somehow transferred his seal to Sasuke. So that was truly it? That was how this was all going to be? Naruto was going to be some big kami-damned hero, sending Sasuke away - and for what? What did he want Sasuke to do? Obviously he was no longer trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, judging by the clear moon in the mid-morning sky.

Just trying to process it makes Sasuke's head pound even more.

Sasuke pushes off the tree and looks around, dazedly, trying to decide which way to go. Not even knowing where he should go, Sasuke just picks a direction and starts walking, after leaning down and picking up his sword that somehow was brought with him. He walks with his head slightly bowed and his shoulders pulled in. He has to close his eyes because his vision won't clear up. He focuses on his other senses to make his way through the forest opening his eyes only once when he felt the presence of one of the very large snakes that have inhabit the Land of Fire, slithering closer to him.

Turning his gaze toward the snake and stopping his stumbling way through the forest. Sasuke locks eyes with the serpent and stares it down, silently daring it to try and stalk him through the forest. He was vastly unhappy. His mood was sour and he wasn't feeling well. He was not in the mood.

It back down, turning and slithering away. Sasuke waits until the snake is out of sight before closing his eyes and continuing his long journey to who-knows-where. At this point, there was nothing for Sasuke to do. He had no where to go and no one who would be able to understand what he's going through. Sasuke is feeling raw enough right now to _want _to tell someone, but put said someone in front of Sasuke and surely he'll win them over with his award-winning personality and then he'll still be alone.

He'll never find someone as stupidly committed, or audacious, as Naruto and Sakura were about him. Even Kakashi held a great willingness to want Sasuke back if the Uchiha was willing to start playing on Team Konoha. Which was also to be expected. At first, all of that was annoying to Sasuke. He hated that they were so disturbingly loyal to him. At this precise moment, he would give anything to be in that situation again. What he wouldn't give to go back to when he was twelve years old. Before his curse consumed his entire life.

Before he sacrificed everything... for a lie. For one big, horrible lie.

This entire thing left a sour taste in his mouth. Well, aside from the cotton taste too. Sasuke needs water. And food too, Sasuke's weakness can also be attributed to his lack of consumption in the last day. That and there was nothing favorable about his chakra levels. Apart from being unable to see because of blurry vision, Sasuke's new Rinnegan is a much more efficient chakra vacuum than his Sharingan.

It wasn't much longer before Sasuke found himself stumbling from the forest to see, down a hill in front of him, lies a village. It probably has a couple thousand people living in it. It was a decent enough size that Sasuke could easily slip in, find some food and drink and a change of clothes - for his were ripped, tattered waste of fabric barely hanging onto his body - and get out of there before he can draw too much attention. Then, he'll sleep out in the forest and return in the morning and start to gather information.

Naruto's words echo in his head, "_Sasuke, if you remember anything from these moments, remember this: I am not sending you into the past, do you understand_?" Which is something that can only make sense in his nightmares. Obviously he is no longer in Tsukuyomi, but the rest of the world isn't in it either. The only logical thing Sasuke can think of would be that Naruto and the Nine Tails somehow sent him into the past, but Naruto already specified that that wasn't the case. Until Sasuke gets his bearings, he's going to have to be alert.

But that can't happen until he gets some food in his belly and some sleep to replenish his chakra supplies and maybe settle them down. Sasuke's not even sure he'd be able to mold his chakra correctly to perform jutsu. That leaves an uncomfortable pit in his stomach.

Sasuke trudges to the village, keeping his head down and his hair covering his closed Rinnegan eye. No amount of hunched over backs and downward turned eyes can cover the obvious fact that Sasuke was in some sort of epic battle and if he wasn't the one walking through town, he would be in the right mind to believe that they thought he lost. Sasuke's not so sure him being here could be considered a victory.

But Sasuke doesn't want to think about that now. Just seeing a flash of Naruto's smiling face behind his eyelids is enough to stir this torrent of emotions in his chest. Sasuke was mad and annoyed and just plain unhappy. He didn't know what to do and he felt a bit helpless, which only fueled his anger and annoyance. So to keep from lashing out at the people of this village, he forces the thoughts into the back of his mind to mull over later, once he's cleared his mind and has better control of his emotions.

Sasuke ignores their stares and quickly picks up an assortment of clothes, different from what he's used to, but deciding that he's going to be a nomad now that he _really _has no place to go, he might as well dress the part.

He trades in his tattered clothes for a long sleeve, high collar black shirt that goes to his mid-thighs with slits up the sides and a breast plate that goes over his right shoulder, reminiscent of Kumo's own breast plates but his is a solid dark gray. He's got simple gray pants that go to his mid shins that are a bit worn at the ends with gray wrapping up to his knees, under his pants, and around his simple black shinobi shoes. His only splashes of color is the dark blue wrapping around both hands, pinning down the ends of his sleeves with a single band around each of his elbows and mid upper arm. The last touch is a dark blue head band around his forehead, where his forehead protector once was.

Sasuke didn't mind the hair now resting around his eyes and on the bridge of his nose. Even some of his wild hair puffing out in the back of his head, over the top of his headband.

The young Uchiha was just thankful that his money still worked, at least he was somewhere in the world where they accepted his yen. A last minute purchase was a long brown poncho that could easily hide his entire body that cascades down into a 'v' at roughly the same length of his pants. It came with a hood and the woman that sold it to him told him it was important to add a bit of color, and gave him three different bead necklaces; a yellow one, a red one, and a green one.

Normally, the irritable young Uchiha wouldn't care much for how it looked - and that is ignoring the safety hazard of having clacking beads around his neck that could alert enemies of his position - but the woman was insistent that it completed the outfit and Sasuke didn't have the strength to fight her. After he left, he went in search for simple, yet nutritious food before it got dark. He ate quickly, feeling a lot better than before, and slipped out of the village as it began to close up shops and head to bed.

It wasn't until late into the night, while Sasuke should be sleeping, but was instead staring at the three different necklaces that he wondered why these reminded him of his team. Yellow for Naruto, red for Sakura, and green for Kakashi. Surely something like that was just coincidental, or perhaps Sasuke was just overthinking it all, but he closed his fist around portions of the three necklaces, leaning his back against the trunk of the tree he chose as his bed for the night and closed his eyes, silently cursing the blond teammate he once not-so-begrudgingly called friend, for putting him in this position.

If they were all going to die, shouldn't they have all died together? As silly the sentiment was, Sasuke would have preferred to die with them - if death was the only choice, that is - than be here, in some strange place, surrounded by strange people. All alone. If Sasuke didn't know any better, he'd believe that this was Naruto's revenge against him. Sasuke wanted to so bad, for so long, to be left alone. Well, now he's got the chance. Now he's alone.

Alone with his thoughts and the blazing full moon above him.

* * *

It was before dawn when an explosion jerked Sasuke from his sleep. While not restful, Sasuke's sleep was deep. His chakra supply was mostly replenished and having settled down. His headache was gone and his Rinnegan allowed him to see in the dark, noting immediately that the explosion was coming from the town that he was in just a few hours prior. Having no way of ignoring what was happening, Sasuke climbed to his feet and headed in that direction.

He swiftly made it to the break in the trees to see the village, slowly, but surely, being set ablaze. Sasuke's jaw clenches in both anger, at the people burning down the village, and annoyance, at himself for somehow allowing people to get that close to him without noticing. He must still be more out of it, than he thought. And that just makes him more annoyed.

Somehow, a battle from the outside managed to roll into this village. There was two forces, one burning the village down, and the other trying to save as many people as they can while battling off the enemy.

Sasuke recognizes the shinobi vests on both sides. The defenders were Konoha shinobi, and the attackers were Iwa.

Even if this wasn't the past, these was very reminiscent of what Sasuke would assume the Third Great Ninja War looked like. Sasuke remembered reading up on how the Iwa and Kumo were really kicking ass and managed to push deep into the Land of Fire until about the half way point in the war when the future Fourth Hokage took to the field and began kicking some major enemy ass. Sasuke has no way to confirm exactly where they are in the war, or if there is even a way to know if this is even the Third Great Shinobi war or not.

No, wait, Naruto said it wouldn't be the past. But there is Iwa and Konoha shinobi doing battle out there. So, this has to be in some way connected to his timeline, doesn't it? But then why would Naruto say that? Shouldn't he be concerned that Sasuke would fuck something up by saying that? Unless this was some kind of alternate universe of some sort and Naruto wasn't fucking with him.

Sasuke groans under his breath, glaring at the burning village in front of him. He just didn't know. He needed some proper time to sit and meditate over this.

An angry sneer crosses Sasuke's lips. It's typical of such brutal savagery. Sasuke had no idea what this village did to somehow get plunged into the middle of this conflict - and if Sasuke had to guess, it would be _nothing, _or guilty by assosition - but he was feeling way too raw to let this go unpunished. Sasuke was pissed off and annoyed beyond belief which could be attributed to both his lack of sleep, and the overall shitty past few days he's been having.

For a moment, just a split second, Sasuke want to enter the blissful, silence of a battle high. Anything to not have to deal with his thoughts any longer. Anything to distract him from the shit-storm his life has become. Or perhaps it had always been this way and just recently Sasuke's come to realize it. But either way, Sasuke is ready to just stop thinking.

Be damned the consequences. Naruto already said, didn't he? This isn't the past.

Sasuke grabs his sword, unsheathing it with his right hand, while holding the sheath in his left, jumping off the branch and making his way towards town. Sasuke had no particular love for the Leaf or it's shinobi, but for some reason, Sasuke couldn't bring himself to sneak up behind them and kill them indiscriminately. Perhaps Naruto did more to him than just sent him back in time, or whatever he did. Either way, whatever the blond did didn't make Sasuke have any qualms around killing the Iwa ninja.

Sasuke forced himself to think of nothing but focusing on the battle. The first dozen shinobi were easy. They weren't nearly experienced enough to take on Sasuke's Rinnegan. Sasuke didn't waste either it's power or his Sharingan on the lowly peons, only fighting them off with his sword and sheath. It felt nice, being able to swiftly move about the crowd, dodging kunai and shuriken and the random jutsu. None of them were strong enough to put up too much of a fight against Sasuke, but still being unused to his new left eye, his chakra began draining quickly, much to Sasuke's chagrin.

Closing that eye and continuing on with just his Sharingan was a bit more of a challenge, because he couldn't see with his left eye, but his right eye with the Sharingan made up for it. Sasuke also didn't miss when people saw his family's blood limit, they would gasp, "Sharingan" or "Uchiha" as if it wasn't completely obvious what he was and what was in his eye socket.

Sasuke smoothly steps out of the way of some shuriken flying his way, turning to look at the Iwa ninja standing on one of the roof tops. Sasuke easily crosses the distance, swiping at him with his sword. The Iwa ninja jumps back to avoid the strike, hands immediately moving in a few quick hand signs. The Sharingan analyses it, but Sasuke didn't need that. He knew the jutus well.

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu!" the shinobi yells spitting a large fireball at him. Sasuke jumps high into the air, easily clearing the large burning inferno, charging his sword with his lightning chakra, listening to the familiar crackling as he spins around and descends fast, sword first.

There was a split second of indesicion on the shinobi's face, before he does a new series of hand signs. This time it's an earth style attack.

"Earth style: rock defense!" He yells, jumping off the building and onto the dirt, stooping down low so the solid rock barrier can easily encompass his body. Sasuke's minor shift in position had his sword land in the rock, easily cutting through it. But Sasuke didn't feel his sword hit anything soft and quickly pulls it from the protective bubble around the Iwa ninja. There was no blood on the blade.

Sasuke's mind immediately began working through the possibilities on where he could have gone. Substitution? No, Sasuke feel anything in the initial strike. If he did perform a jutsu it was a very minor jutsu and he had good chakra control. Sasuke could barely distinguish if the chakra filtering from the hole in the barrier was from that jutsu or another.

It's as soon as Sasuke kicked away from the rock and hit solid earth about a foot away that the answer came to him. Headhunter jutsu! It was right then that Sasuke felt the movement under his feet. Not having the time to jump away, he charged his sword again and jabbed it hard directly between his feet as far down as it could go. There was a long moment of silence before Sasuke swiftly removed his blade, taking a moment to glance over at it and not the red sheen glowing in the sunlight over the horizon.

Sasuke jerks his sword a bit, flicking the blood away, and looks around the immediate area, noting that the sounds of battle has stopped. Figuring that was his cue to go, Sasuke turns around and heads back the way he came, stepping around his conquest, over two dozen dead bodies. He felt other chakra signatures approaching him from behind him.

It's only when they are within fifteen feet of Sasuke, does one of them call out, "Halt! State your name and... oh Kami..."

Sasuke pauses next to a decapitated Iwa nin, turning to look behind himself with only his Sharingan eye, There was five Konoha shinobi, all of them were looking around at the bodies and then to Sasuke. Looks of recognition cross their faces at the sigh of Sasuke's Sharingan. Some of them relaxed. Sasuke had to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes at their naiveté. Just because he was an Uchiha, didn't mean he was on their side.

His chakra levels were getting low again, so Sasuke deactivates his Sharingan and turns back around, feeling fairly sure he wasn't going to get attacked from behind by these naïve shinobi. Sasuke had to get out of there. He wanted to find somewhere cozy to sleep and rebuild his strength, as well as get his chakra under control, and isn't feeling like talking Will of Fire with other Leaf shinobi.

One of them call after him, but Sasuke ignores them and makes his way out of the village. He attacked for the village, not for the Leaf. It was just dumb luck that it happened to be a Leaf protected village and there happened to be shinobi near by. In fact, Sasuke should kill them. It's their fault that the little was attacked in the first place. If they were protecting it better, this wouldn't happen in the first place.

Not that Sasuke ultimately cares.

Sasuke leans again the tree in front of him, growling under his breath. What is going on with him? He's been out of whack since he woke up, and it's annoying him greatly. Sasuke pushes off the tree again and keeps walking away from the village, stretching out his senses, keeping on eye on anyone following him. So far no one. They probably figured he was only stopping by because of the disturbance, but had a mission elsewhere or something and thought it smart not to follow him. Either way, so long as no one was following him, he didn't care what they thought or why they let him go unmolested.

At some point in the middle of the day, after hours of aimlessly walking. Sasuke's hungry and tired and irritated. And as if Kami was looking out for him, Sasuke stumbled across a large lake with a glass surface, disturbed only by the fish jumping out of the water.

Normally Suigetsu would be the one to go out and get the fish, but that ship has already sailed, because like all things in Sasuke's life, he managed to fuck it up with his award-winning personality and monumental fuck ups - one after another.

Sasuke caught two fish and built a fire easily enough. While they were cooking, Sasuke couldn't help but bitterly wonder why he was here. Wherever _here _was. Obviously Naruto was the one that sent him here, with the help of the Nine Tails, but why him? Once again, Sasuke had never given Naruto the impression that he should be trusted and yet again the dumbass believed in him. Sasuke wasn't the person who should be here - once again, wherever here was - because, like he's been his entire life, Sasuke is an asshole. He knows it, and has come to accept that about himself.

He just cant help it, somehow. It's like every good thing that comes to Sasuke in life, he has to fuck up one way or another. A great part of it can be blamed on the curse of hatred on his family, but Sasuke refuses to believe that he wouldn't have the power to fight through it. He wasn't weak like Madara or Obito. He should have somehow been better than that. And if he believes that, then he's been a complete asshole for absolutely no reason other than to be an asshole.

More and more, Sasuke is beginning to believe that he was on the right track thinking that this was punishment by his blond haired rival. He sent Sasuke somewhere he could wallow in his own loneliness.

Sasuke won't deny it. Not now. He's lonely. Well, no, not lonely. Not yet. Sasuke always liked his space, but that will only last for so long. He has nothing anymore. He has no goal. He doesn't need anymore power, he's doing pretty well for himself, not that he's not going to hone his abilities, but there is no more need to seek out a teacher. He doesn't even have a competent team to follow him around because he doesn't need one. Why would anyone follow him just for the hell of it? He didn't need to seek revenge on anything or anyone. And there was no one he knew.

In the back of his mind, Sasuke wondered if one day, the possibility of returning home to Konoha always existed. Sasuke's main focus was achieving his goal, but so long as Naruto never gave up on him, after all was said and done, he would be able to return to his home in Konoha and start rebuilding his clan. But now that doesn't even matter, not really.

Sure, Sasuke could go back to the Hidden Leaf and try and acclimate to however this place is different than his own, but there isn't a reason. Sasuke isn't meant to be here, that much is obvious. Never before had Sasuke felt like this before. He literally has nothing here. No friend, no family. No direction.

And it's all Naruto's _fault_.

Sasuke blinks back into reality in time to notice that his food was burning, which did nothing to sooth his already ruffled feathers, as Suigetsu would have said, had he been here, in reference to Sasuke's hair. Sasuke never found those jokes amusing, but Suigetsu always got a kick out of them. And Sasuke never cared enough to get the white haired swordsmen to stop. Now Sasuke misses just how normal it would have felt to have the annoying man by his side.

Sasuke must already be really desperate for human companionship if he's missing _Suigestu._

After Sasuke choked down his fish and stomped out the fire, he got up, chose a random direction and started walking again, doing anything to keep himself from thinking. Sasuke knew nothing else that he could do. Just pick a direction and walk.


	2. Meet the Fourth

**Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. There is a bit of buzz about this story, so here is the second chapter to see how it goes. Let me know what you think. So, there is OOC-ness. Keep that in mind. Enjoy!**

**Warnings: Language, maybe. A bit of violence.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea was brought to me by RedGoddessEclipse and asked me to write it for her. :3**

**Word Count: 5,223**

Almost a month passed since Sasuke was put in the time he's in. _Not the past, _Naruto's voice kept echoing in his head. Sasuke has resigned himself to his new fate. In the past month, Sasuke has been able to identify that he is somewhere within this timeline's Third Great Ninja War. They are teetering somewhere between losing this war and starting to turn the tides. Which, if Sasuke remembers his history correctly, this is around the time that the Fourth Hokage - or the man that one day will become such a man - is becoming an independent force on the battlefield, bouncing from one battle to the next, turning the tide.

Sasuke makes sure to avoid major battles, fighting in skirmishes and small encampments. Over the past few days, Sasuke has been hearing about his own exploits through the war. It's only been a month yet already Sasuke has been gaining the nickname The Ghost of Konohagakure. Seen bouncing around all parts of the battleline. At first, Sasuke didn't know how it was, until he hear the description.

A young man with dark hair and a single Uchiha eye along with three, bright colored necklaces.

Now everywhere that Sasuke goes, people stare at him. No one says much, only murmurs their thanks and bows their heads to him. Sasuke ignores the for the most part, and because of the attention, begins avoiding towns whenever he can help it. He never stays in one place long and does his best to avoid any standing Konoha force. Sasuke doesn't hate Konoha, not anymore. He's too tired and sad to hate anymore.

This was the village his brother loved and died for, even if they were in some alternate timeline. Sasuke didn't hate Konoha, but that didn't mean he wanted anything to really do with them. Over the expanse of this war and what he participated in the Fourth, Sasuke wanted nothing more to do with war other than end it. His tribute to his pacifistic elder brother.

Sasuke doesn't want fame or fortune. He doesn't want anything anymore. There literally isn't anything for him anymore. After having achieved his sour vengeance, there was only one thing left of that dream afterward. Rebuild his clan. But there isn't even a need for that either. His entire clan is alive right now, fighting in war. No, these people weren't his family. They were cheap imitations of the real things. They may look and act, walk and talk like the people Sasuke would later remember as a child, but it wasn't them. They were other people all together.

Perhaps Naruto really does hate him. Sasuke couldn't blame him. He never gave the blond much reason to feel anything else for him.

And the pity party continues.

* * *

Sasuke relaxes, standing by a loud waterfall, listening to the powerful waves smash against the rocks behind him. Sasuke stands on a log in the middle of the pool, keeping it upright with his chakra, while balancing on one leg while using his Rinnegan to lift a couple of rocks around him, trying to keep his deviated attention keen. At the same time as all of that, he's also feeling around with his chakra for any potential dangers approaching.

Right now, with his Rinnegan only partially focused, he's only able to lift three separate rocks. His Rinnegan is still a pain, no matter how cool it is, by sucking out his chakra like a vacuum, but his chakra control is growing immensely in the past month and a half since he got here. His chakra supplies are lasting longer and longer as the days go on. Sasuke figures that one day he'll be able to use his Rinnegan indefinitely, like he's able to use his Sharingan.

Sasuke has his right hand level with his chest holding up two fingers as he straightens out the other hand parallel to the water. He closes his right eye and focuses solely on his Rinnegan. He keeps his breath even and his body as still as he can. He relishes in the slight burning in his muscles at the exertion. His heart beat was pounding, heavily, but slowly.

Sasuke used to be greatly opposed to killing needlessly. He hated what this place is making him. His lack of care, or even desire to do anything, has crippled and destroyed the person he used to be. At least on a fundamental level. He lives now on basic shinobi instincts. He eats, drinks, and trains. Occasionally, he'll go out and look for battle to sate his most basic shinobi desires. And then he'll return to a safe place and then he'll continue that cycle without a single thought one way or another.

He used to hate people who would act on auto-pilot. Such a person wasn't worth every living breath that they take. They were just lifeless creatures walking around in human skin. Not living with a care in the world. Without a thought in their head. It was not how Sasuke would have chosen to live if he felt he had a choice, but it's him now. It's slowly, but surely, becoming who he is.

A horrible, empty person that - if one pulled him back at the seams - there wouldn't even be a person in there. Just an empty husk. A shadow of a man.

He used to have some sort of morals. No senseless killing, staying out of other's business, things of the like. But now, none of that even matters. These aren't his people. This isn't his timeline. This isn't his problem.

Yes, Sasuke decided on what to call this place. An alternate timeline. Something parallel to his own, but not exactly alike. Of course it can't be exactly alike, because Sasuke is here now, killing people who probably shouldn't have been killed and saving people that probably shouldn't have been saved. Everything was different now that Sasuke got here. If it wasn't an alternate timeline then, it is now. Either way, Sasuke's future is gone.

And it left Sasuke with nothing. Perhaps the blue haired boy really had nothing to begin with. Not after he lost his parents. Not after he killed his brother.

Sasuke shakes his head. He worked hard - most of the time - a lot harder than he should, to keep his mind blank. He's been doing that a lot lately. Doing everything he can to keep from thinking at all. What a tragic way to live life. But slowly and surely, Sasuke is growing used to it. A lot less drama in thinking. A lot less room to go out of his way to ruin other people's lives. And to make connections that he'll only end up messing up.

* * *

"Please help us!"

Sasuke stares down at the young boy. He didn't know this child, nor did he owe this way-too-young-to-be-a-shinobi boy anything. Yet somehow, standing a few feet away from the small brown haired boy, tears of fear and exhaustion filling his little eyes, made Sasuke stop. He tried to avoid larger battles, and while this wasn't a huge battle, it had almost a hundred people battling on both sides. So, it's bigger than the ones he usually participates in.

The young boy, covered in dirt and grime with a Konoha headband tied around his forehead, reaches out for Sasuke but doesn't touch him. "Please, sir. It's you, isn't it? Th-the Ghost of Konohagakure..?"

Sasuke glances down at the boy with his black, right eye. "A fitting name," he mutters, more to himself than the boy. Then he steps past the small foxhole, as ironic as such a name is now for Sasuke, and into the no-man's-land between the two forces. Sasuke hadn't meant to stumble upon this battle. It was just one of those times. And Sasuke, with no soul in his body, has nothing left to fear and no morals left to uphold.

Truly a lost man.

Sasuke quickly closed the distance between himself and the Iwa ninja. He dodges the shuriken and kunai thrown his way. Jumping this way and that to avoid weapons wrapped up in paper bombs until he's right on top of them, slashing and bashing away with his sword and sheath. He points his sword down the line and summons up a chidori true spear, skewering the shinobi next to him. It doesn't take him long to kill his way up one side of the line. About half way to the end, the Leaf shinobi finally crossed the distance and helped out.

He stops and watches as the Leaf shinobi take care of the remaining Iwa ninja. Sasuke slowly re-sheaths his sword and climbs out of the hole. Sasuke picks a direction, away from the battle field and starts walking. He sheaths his sword once more and pulls a shuriken that was lodged in his right thigh out, dropping it onto the grass with a thud.

"Stop."

Sasuke doesn't stop, not at first. Perhaps a part of it was because he didn't know the person was talking to him. Or perhaps it was because he didn't care to listen even if they were. But the flash of blond in his vision gave him pause. That blond, in the mid-morning sun, was so achingly familiar. It almost made the Rinnegan eye in Sasuke's left eye socket open, but he closed it before it could open past a crack.

"Please stop and allow us to thank you properly, at least," the man before him says. Sasuke's single black eye lands on the Fourth Hokage's stoic, but dirty with sweat and mud, face.

"No need," Sasuke says, lowering his head to step around the man, but the taller blond easily blocks his path.

The Fourth - or future Forth, if this timeline continues to live up to his own - looks down at him with light blue eyes so similar to Naruto's in their blueness, but a lot older and wiser than Naruto's could ever be. His long blond hair frames his thin face and his long, thin lashes cast long shadows across his cheeks. There was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that this man was Naruto's father. The two were so similar in appearance.

Except the Fourth was a lot more refined. At this point, the future leader of his home village has to be in his early 20's. The war, if Sasuke recalled correctly, began turning around when the Fourth entered the battles around 20 years old. About five years later, the treaty is signed and two months following, the man before Sasuke becomes Hokage.

"Who are you?" the Fourth asks.

"No one," Sasuke says, leaning onto his right hip, wondering how long this is going to take.

"I'm Minato Namikaze," the Fourth says.

Sasuke didn't know that, but it didn't mean that it made him anymore forthcoming about talking. The last person Sasuke wanted to deal with was the fastest man alive and Naruto's father. So, the blue haired boy just stares at him, blinking slowly.

"..."

Minato's blue eyes study Sasuke closely, looking him up and down. He appears curious but also analytical. He takes every little bit of detail about Sasuke into whatever little file folder is being made in his head about the young Uchiha. Sasuke stares into the eye of the Fourth with his black Uchiha eye, an idea coming to him.

He's sick in the head and for the past two months, he has nothing but his mind and not even his own thoughts could be trusted. He activates his sharingan, letting it spin into life. Minato's eyes lock on to the Sharingan in Sasuke's right eye socket.

"So you are an Uchiha," Minato says.

"Will you tell the clan leader?" Sasuke asks. "Will you tell him about the rogue Uchiha out and about without living under the thumb of the clan leader? I can't imagine he'll take that well." Sasuke's father never was one for dealing with matters of the family with a level head and a gentle hand.

Minato seems to contemplate that. "I'm not sure. What would I tell him? An Uchiha is running around killing our enemies? I can see where he'd be furious..."

Sasuke stares at him, deactivating his sharingan. "Was that a joke?"

Minato nods, smiling softly. "Thank you for helping us. Judging by your words and the reputation you've made for yourself, I can tell it wasn't your intention to be here but that doesn't mean I don't thank you nonetheless."

"No need," Sasuke says, making a move to step past the Fourth again, but once again, he steps into his way.

"I'm right," Minato says. Sasuke says nothing. "Then tell me why you helped. You didn't have to, but you did." He stares at Sasuke with keen light blue eyes. "So, why?"

Sasuke tilts his head. "Need I a reason?"

"Do you have one?" Minato asks, blinking slowly. One hand is brought up and placed against his hip.

Sasuke shakes his head. "No."

"Then do something else you don't have a reason to," Minato says. Sasuke raises an eyebrow at that. He's not dumb enough not to see a trick when it's being waved around in front of his face. But he doesn't say anything, just stares at him, wondering if there was anything that could be said. It's not like Sasuke had anywhere to go from here. All he could do was just go back to his usual routine.

Sasuke doesn't respond, just stares at him.

"Come back to Konoha with me. The Hokage has wanted to speak with you." Minato looks down at him with calm blue eyes.

Sasuke shakes his head. "There is nothing there for me."

"A village. People who can appreciate what you've been doing 24-7 for the past few months. A famil-"

"No," Sasuke snaps, face scrunching up in anger, cutting Minato off. "Those people are not my family. Do not ever call them such."

Minato seemed surprised by Sasuke's words, his eyes widened. In the outburst, Sasuke opened both his eyes wide, letting his sharingan spin to life and the intensity of his Rinnegan shine through. Minato didn't back up or shutter under the gaze, even though a part of Sasuke expected him to, he just stared into the eye of the old god, lips moving slowly.

"Rinnegan."

Sasuke was actually surprised by Minato's knowledge of the godly optic, even if all he showed he knew was the name. Still, even that is a lot. Sasuke didn't know about it until during the Fourth Great Ninja War. The blond haired Hokage truly was amazing. A force to be reckoned with. Sasuke had to wonder how the blond had come across such information.

Minato frowns, staring at a outwardly brisling Sasuke, still unhappy about that family comment. Those people weren't his family. They were poor imitations of the people that Sasuke once called family. The blue haired young man didn't have to meet any of them to know that he would never like them, any of them. He'd rather avoid them all together than let these feelings become a true issue. He has, and wants, nothing to do with these people.

They aren't his family. They'll never be his family.

"I'm sorry," Minato apologizes quietly, still looking slightly surprised. His face slowly relaxes again. "But what about the people. You've been protecting them all this time. Don't you want to meet the people you're protecting?"

"No," Sasuke says, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. To be honest, Sasuke didn't really understand what Minato was saying. He didn't even see it like that. He didn't see what he's doing as a form of protection for the Leaf, he saw it as a way of honing his shinobi skills and every opportunity he's had with taking out Leaf shinobi he's just... never really felt up to it.

_"Or perhaps this is your way of owning up for your mistakes," _an evil little voice in the back of Sasuke's head whispers. _"A way of apologizing to Naruto for everything that happened between, even if he'd never see it. You'd see it. _You'd _know."_

Sasuke frowns, closing his Rinnegan eye again, deactivating his Sharingan. If he was doing that, he hadn't realized it. Perhaps all this time trying so hard not to hear his own voice in his head had began to blind him of what was really right in front of him. Suddenly, Sasuke is uncomfortable, not liking this part of him. He's so strange. He's not like he used to be.

Sasuke used to think he was very apathetic before all of this. Now he wonders if he even understood what such a thing meant. Sasuke definitely wasn't the person he used to be, but what had he become? Was this the type of person that he wanted to be for the rest of his life? He hadn't given much thought to it, these last few months, because didn't put much thought into really anything these last few months.

"Will you come to the village with me?" Minato asks, taking a moment to look around at the Leaf shinobi taking out any more living Iwa ninja and securing the area in order to move the battle line forward, radioing in to headquarters to tell them of their success.

"No," Sasuke says again, shaking his head. "There is nothing there for me."

Minato suddenly looks thoughtful, placing both hands on narrow hips. "Not yet," he says slowly, "but maybe one day there could be."

Sasuke stares at him blankly, not sure why the man was saying such a thing. "Doubt it," he mumbles.

"You'll never know unless you take a leap of faith," Minato says and Sasuke could have choked on how much that reminded him of Naruto. The words were so honest and indiscriminate. Minato knew nothing about Sasuke - which Sasuke could also say about the young and illusive future Fourth Hokage - but the fact that he had been assisting the battle line for the Leaf for almost two months now. The Fourth didn't even know Sasuke's name yet. He didn't divulge such information. Yet for some reason the man was willing to take him to the Hidden Leaf to see the Hokage?

Something didn't feel right.

"Why do you want me to come with you?" Sasuke asks, not even bothering to hide his suspicion. If Minato was surprised by Sasuke's question, there was no reaction on his face.

"It's my mission," Minato says, truthfully, his voice falling even and his face turning impassive. This was all business. "The Third has asked that I look for you and try and bring you to the Leaf when I find you."

Sasuke opens his Rinnegan eye and narrows them both in further suspicion. "Why?"

Minato doesn't miss a beat, still unaffected by Sasuke's Rinnegan. "It's not my place to ask such things."

"But you do know," Sasuke says keenly, eyes sharpening. His lazy pose from earlier stiffens, making the nearby shinobi suddenly look uncomfortable, putting safe, weary, distance between them and the two young men. They do remain close enough, though, should Minato require assistance.

Minato's smile is paper thin. "I do. But the only way I can think to explain it would only give you the wrong impression."

"Try me," Sasuke says daringly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke wondered why he was even still there. He had no real connection to the Fourth. Except for maybe Naruto. But Sasuke's connection to _Naruto _alone is questionable, let alone the man's father.

Minato reaches up and scratches the back of his head in an action so reminiscent of Naruto that it gave Sasuke pause. The Fourth was widely known as an honorable man, even to his enemies. He fought fairly and is even well respected in Kumo. He would also have been well respected in Iwa if he wasn't known for slaughtering their armies one after another. Through no fault of his own. That was where they needed him and well, he did his job well. But from what Sasuke heard in school and over his years as a shinobi and even what he saw in the war, the Fourth didn't let people suffer on his side or the enemies. He was a straight up guy. Supposedly.

But this is an order from the Leaf. No matter how good someone can be, that doesn't mean that he's not a shinobi and literally kills people for a living. No, he doesn't just 'kill' people. He _slaughters en mass _their armies. Mostly Iwa's, but still. He is no doubt very, very deadly. The only shinobi in Sasuke's time officially recognized as a double-s-ranked shinobi threat.

Yes. Such a man is not to be taken lightly. Just because he's Naruto's father, doesn't mean he's as stupid as Naruto. Or as disgustingly loyal as the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki. Sasuke needs to not forget that.

"You are someone who is viewed associated with Konoha without any apparent association... with Konoha," Minato says slowly, tilting his face up toward the sky. He saw what Sasuke could do, right? Then why is he so relaxed? Is Sasuke that nonthreatening?

"I never asked to be associated with the Leaf," Sasuke says, slipping passed the older man, wanting to get out of there before this turned into a nasty situation involving the Yellow Flash but that's too much to ask for. Minato is in front of him a moment later, living up to his legendary speed. Sasuke takes a step back to put a bit of distance between them.

Minato smiles apologetically. "Unfortunately, we don't get to choose who we become associated with." His smile fades into a neutral expression again. "But in all seriousness, the Hokage wishes to speak to you. You've done nothing wrong as far as I know, he's just intrigued by the Ghost of Konoha. Will you come?" The question was asked innocently enough, but Sasuke's smart enough to know that there is no way Sasuke's leaving this place without a fight, unless he just goes with the future Fourth.

Sasuke sighs, narrowing his eyes up at the blue eyed man, more annoyed than angry. "Fine. Make this quick. Let us go." He turned toward the direction of the Leaf when a hand wrapped around his elbow, surprising Sasuke. On instinct, he whipped his sword out for a strike. Minato, the fastest man alive, catches the sword with his signature three pronged kunai.

They stood frozen, staring at each other. Sasuke was half turned toward Minato with his sword in his left hand level with Minato's head being blocked by the three pronged kunai in Minato's right hand. Minato's left hand is wrapped around Sasuke's right elbow. They both don't move as Sasuke's half turned face was pointed just passed Minato, sharingan spinning.

The other shinobi around them were tensed, hands reaching for their weapons.

There was a moment. A strange moment, where they both were just staring at each other. Looking at Minato and having a strange connection with him that he usually had with Naruto. It made Sasuke's stomach settle heavily. There was always something between Naruto and Sasuke - they were the reincarnations (apparently) of Asura and Indra Otsutsuki, sons of the Sage of Six Paths - but Sasuke also feels that connection with Minato. Is it because they are father and son? Is there any way that can be possible?

Sasuke didn't know.

"Sorry," Minato finally says, pulling back his kunai and releasing Sasuke's elbow. "I didn't mean to startle you." Sasuke didn't respond, but he put his sword back onto his side. "Come," Minato says, holding a hand out for Sasuke, "I have a faster way home."

Sasuke knew what he was saying right away - the Fourth's signature jutsu, the Flying Thunder God - and had to frown at that. For the first time in a long time, something blossomed in Sasuke's chest. It had been so long since Sasuke had felt much of anything and it took him a moment to identify what the feeling was. Curiosity.

How many people could say that they've experienced the Flying Thunder God technique that didn't ultimately end their life? Sasuke has his own version of a teleportation technique that came with his new Rinnegan, but he can only move within a ten foot radius from his current position in all directions. It's one of the few techniques of the Rinnegan that drains his chakra with each use. It maybe takes up about an hours worth of chakra fueling his Rinnegan just before the Fourth Great Ninja War. He could probably use such a technique a couple dozen times before he even began to get tired.

As intrigued as Sasuke was to learn the inner-mechanics of the legendary Flying Raijin, he knew what it did to people who the Fourth decided not to protect with however he protected himself to perform the technique. It blew them to pieces. Was Sasuke suicidal enough to be okay with that possibly being his fate? He didn't care what happened to him now... but such an end is... undignified, in Sasuke's eyes. He fought a primordial god in the Ten Tails and a dead goddess in Kaguya.

"Before we go," Minato says, turning to one of the shinobi that Sasuke recognizes now as soon as Minato addresses him, "Raido, thank you for all your help. I couldn't have done this without you."

Raido, younger than Sasuke remembered, nods, pulling out a very familiar three pronged kunai from his kunai pouch and tosses it over to Minato, who catches it easily. "No problem," Raido says, eyeing Sasuke mistrustfully. "Be careful, Minato-san."

Sasuke just stared blankly back at Raido. It was a little amusing to Sasuke that they worried for Minato, who was the superior shinobi. Sasuke wasn't a fool, he was strong, but Minato became the youngest Hokage and had a double-s-ranked status. At twenty seven! Sasuke, at least the way he sees it, still has some ways to go before he reaches that threshold. Minato may or may not be close to that level yet, being in his early twenties, but Sasuke still isn't dumb enough to test such a theory.

Although, he wouldn't expect Raido to know that.

"I will," Minato says, slipping the kunai into his own kunai pouch, still holding the other one in his right hand. "Good luck, friend." Raido tips his head a bit in respect, giving Sasuke one last once over before turning to the other shinobi and ordering them to fortify the position. Telling Hyuga scouts to keep an eye on the area and make sure there is no enemy ninja nearby. They do so wearily, looking at Sasuke, though were smart enough not to turn their Byakugan toward Sasuke.

"Reverse summon seal," Minato explains to Sasuke. "I gave to some friends all long the main battle line in case someone saw you." The blue haired ex-avenger doesn't respond to that. It was pretty smart. There was no other way to track Sasuke.

Sasuke closes his Sharigan eye. As he does so, all the world as the Sharingan views it, vanishes. For the most part the Sharingan views the world similar to the human eye, it just increases perception, prediction and allows the perfect mimicry of moves as opposed to the human eye. But he can see faces and colors and little details with that eye that he can't with the Rinnegan.

The Rinnegan sees everything in black, white and gray, for the most part. He can see the outlines and the lines of detail in people and things. Living things, like animals and plants, come out gray, outlined and detailed in white. Humans with chakra, are outlined and detailed in white but their chakra surrounds them in the unique color of their chakra. Some people have so much chakra it forms a physical haze inside and outside their body. Just by looking at them with the Rinnegan, Sasuke can tell their chakra nature, how strong their affinity is, their level of chakra control and how full their reserves are. And that's all just a primary glance.

Looking up at the sky, even in broad daylight, is blackened out. All empty, chakra-less space is black and unrecognizable by the Rinnegan. But, from what Sasuke's is coming to understand, when he focuses on the Sharingan aspect of his Rinnegan, he is able to switch his vision over to how he's always been able to see it. It's a matter of preference but the Sharingan in Sasuke's left eye socket can be used with either version of sight. The Rinnegan powers can only be used with the Rinnegan sight. The only downfall to seeing through the Sharingan sight in his left eye, would be that if he wanted to use his Rinnegan powers, he would have to switch over the sight first, which takes up precious seconds.

So, Sasuke opts to learning the abilities of the Sharingan with the Rinnegan's sight. It's kind of cool seeing the Amaterasu through the eye of the Rinnegan, it becomes this spray of multiple colors.

Turning Sasuke's Rinnegan eye to Minato, he's amazed at how light blue Minato's chakra was. It was so light that it was almost white in his body. His control over his chakra was perfect. Hardly any of his chakra, that floated around the outside of his body, dissipated. That showed a high level of control as the chakra spins and curls in on itself around his body and instead of breaking off and floating away like even Sasuke's own chakra, and he has pretty good chakra control, it curls back into the mass with tiny trickles escaping.

Minato holds his hand out for Sasuke. "Come, we shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting any longer than we have." Sasuke takes a moment to look at the hand before reaching out and taking it. The chakra of their hands intermingle and Sasuke watches the chakra in the man as he prepares to do the jutsu. What he sees, blows his mind. Minato's chakra becomes a carbon copy of Sasuke's, mimicking it down to the most minute detail. It's color and physical properties change until they are the exact same as Sasuke's.

Minato's chakra shutters and shakes and then explodes in a bright yellow light before they appear at the gates of the Konohagakure.

_For the Reviewers:_

_1\. Masy: I'm going to try. I've never written for this pairing before, so here's to hoping I do it well!_

_2\. bribright91: Thank you!_

_3\. Tobee: I adore Minato so much._

_4\. Mizuki hikari: Thank you!_

_5\. Mimic: He doesn't. But the way I see it, right now, this isn't really Sasuke. He's in this weird limbo place where he has no idea what he wants or what he's even doing. Thanks!_


	3. The Offer

**Author's Note: So sorry about the wait! There is a bit of buzz about this story, so I decided to make yet another chapter! Yay! So, let me know what you think, everyone! Enjoy!**

**Warnings: Language, maybe. A bit of violence.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea was brought to me by RedGoddessEclipse and asked me to write it for her. :3**

**Word Count: 5,243**

Sasuke looks up at the front gates of Konoha. It was so familiar, even though it doesn't have as much wear as Sasuke remembers, and it catches him off guard. He just stares up at the gate with a blank expression. When he left Konoha he went out through a back way, he wasn't dumb enough to go out through the main gate, but he can vividly remember when he last stood before this gate, really looking up at it. At the time he had no idea that he was going to leave, but for some reason, he had committed it to memory. Maybe somewhere deep inside, Sasuke knew this place couldn't be his home. Wouldn't be.

Or perhaps he's just romanticizing his final times within the village that he was born in.

He doesn't miss the distinct three pronged kunai sticking out of the wood of the gate next to where they appeared.

"Have you been to the Leaf before?" Minato asks, bringing Sasuke back to the present. He drops his head to turn a level gaze to the blond haired man a few feet in front in front of him.

"Who knows?" He asks illusively. "Lead the way."

Minato stares at him for a moment with keen blue eyes and a look in them that was never in his son's eyes. Minato was picking him apart with just his eyes and he was probably picking up a lot more than his dumbass son ever could about Sasuke. And that's without the blue haired young man saying much of anything. Minato doesn't even know Sasuke's name yet and it almost feels like the man knows too much already.

Minato tilts his head a bit toward the village and murmurs, "Very well," and then turns and heads past the gates into the village as if it was the most simple thing in the world. Perhaps it was for someone who loved his home village, Sasuke doesn't remember anymore. Had he ever felt that way for his village? Or had Itachi warped his mind so much that he could focus on nothing other than training and seeking his revenge? Sasuke didn't know. That person, that _blind fool_, felt light years away.

Once again, without a hint of fear that Sasuke could suddenly turn on him, Minato leads the way into the village with Sasuke following two feet behind him. The two gate guards, not Izumo and Kotetsu, which surprises Sasuke, give him suspicious looks as he walks passed. Even though it's years into the past, for some reason, Sasuke expected to see the two bored Jounin that usually babysat the gate there. Perhaps grasping at straws and hoping to pull out one that's familiar. Or maybe he took a bit of relief in knowing that he didn't have the shittiest life out there.

He could be Izumo or Kotetsu. Babysitting a gate all day or doing bitch duty for the new Hokage. Yeah, Sasuke could be one of _them_. He'll live in his own personal version of hell, thanks very much.

Sasuke closes his Rinnegan eye and follows after Minato with his head tilted downward. It's been a long time since Sasuke stepped foot past the gates of Konohagakure, but as he does so now, he can tell easily how much everything is the same. A few businesses are differently named and the buildings are newer, less worn with different paint colors. Even in a few places, walking through the market, there was buildings missing all together or were under construction.

As he remembered from his childhood, the streets of Konoha were bustling with people going to and from one work place to another, stopping only to talk to other people on the streets or local venders. It seemed like they were going to be able to make it through the market unmolested when someone noticed the vibrant blond of Minato's mane and called out his name. Then everyone was turning toward the blond haired man, whispering and smiling at him. Some would outright bow and ask him how his day was and if he was doing alright.

Sasuke's not sure what he expected from all of this, but when Minato would pause briefly to speak to everyone who called out to him, Sasuke's wasn't really bothered. It didn't surprise Sasuke to see that he stopped to see people, it just seemed like something to naturally expect. Years ago, and probably just with Naruto, Sasuke would have both expected this _and _been annoyed by it.

Perhaps Sasuke has a bit more respect toward Minato to not be bothered by something that would be weird if Minato did the opposite. But something that Sasuke did notice was that Minato, while being friendly to everyone that spoke to him, never strayed far or took his eye off of Sasuke for long. A true, professional shinobi, through and through.

Sasuke would never be ballsy enough to attack a village - a _shinobi _village - but he can understand Minato's hesitance in keeping an eye on him, yet still he takes his time walking through the village when obviously he's concerned for their safety. Why put them through this? The chance that Sasuke goes psychco is great and yet Minato is still taking him through this...

Why?

An older woman has her small wrinkly hands wrapped around Minato's, holding them tightly. Minato doesn't seem bothered, looking down at the old woman, hunched over slightly so that he can get a good look at her. She was asking about her grandson that was apparently off fighting on the front lines and Minato was promising that he would keep his eyes open for the boy before his eyes flickered back over at Sasuke, glittering in the light.

Almost as if Minato could read minds, it feels like the threw the answer at Sasuke with just those twin blue orbs.

He's seeing how Sasuke is reacting around the people of Konoha. The people who, in his words, Sasuke is protecting. Sasuke didn't think he was reacting in any sort of special manner, just standing in the middle of the road relaxed while the people crowd in around him to get to Minato, but by the secret smile the blond sends his way, Sasuke doubts the future Fourth sees it that way. Sasuke just can't figure this man out. Either he is filled with a bunch of misconceptions about Sasuke or he can read the ex-avenger in ways that make him extremely uncomfortable.

But, oh how very _ballsy _of the future Fourth. Sasuke could go loco at any moment, without warning and either the Fourth is confident that Sasuke's not as bad as he appears or he's confident enough in his legendary speed to get Sasuke away from the village at a split second's notice.

A strange shiver runs through Sasuke.

It has been a long time since Sasuke has really gone against an opponent that could offer a great challenge. Sasuke's fast, but not as fast as the Fourth. Ahem, future Fourth. This place would be insane to not choose him if he has even a fraction of the abilities the Fourth in Sasuke's time had.

There was this aching temptation to try his luck and see what the man does, but the rational part of Sasuke's mind immediately vetos that idea. Something about getting the shit kicked out of him by Naruto's dad just doesn't seem all that appealing. The only perk is that it's not as insulting as getting beat by the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki himself.

Sasuke glares at Minato to show the man that he's caught on and Minato's smile widens. It looks... playful. Like Sasuke is doing something that amuses him. Probably trying to glare at him with one eye. He must look stupid.

Sasuke jerks his head, letting out an annoyed huff, but catches the blond let out a soft laugh before telling everyone, "that while I'd love to stay and talk, I need to go see Lord Hokage, so I will see all of you later." Before waving for Sasuke to follow and extracting himself from the old woman, with a kiss to her cheek before leading Sasuke toward the tower again.

"Annoying," Sasuke mutters under his breath, but Minato hears and glances back at him from over his shoulder.

"They aren't that bad," he says, kindly.

Sasuke rolls his single black eye. "I was talking about you."

Mnato laughs, once again creeping Sasuke out on how relaxed the man is. But, he doesn't draw attention to it, figuring there had to be reasons and while Sasuke is certain they'd be _riveting _to hear, he wasn't interested. If this man was anything like his son, then it would just hurt Sasuke's head trying to wrap his mind around anything the man does.

Minato stops in front of the gate leading to the Hokage Tower and steps up to one of the Jounin that was stationed out front, leaning in close to whisper to him. The man stares passed Minato's shoulder at Sasuke the whole time before nodding slightly and body flickering away. Minato turns around to face Sasuke and puts his right hand on his hip, tilting his head to the side.

"Excited to meet the Hokage?" He asks, a boyish smile on his lips.

Sasuke doesn't answer, wondering if perhaps this was all a mistake. What would he even say to the Legendary Professor? He wouldn't want to bring up anything unnesessary, like the fact that this is an alternate timeline from him or anything, but Sasuke has no excuse to give for what he's doing. Sasuke, himself, doesn't really know why he helps the Leaf shinobi out.

_You aren't_, a voice that sounds an awful lot like Orochimaru whispers in the back of his head, _you're helping yourself out. They're all just training material. Obsticals to make you stronger. So what if you haven't killed any Leaf ninja yet? That could change at any time._

Sasuke suppresses a shiver at the sound of the snake Sannin's voice in the back of his head. It hadn't been so long for Sasuke to had forgotten how creepy his drawl was, crawling up his spine like the snake he is. Sasuke must have had a strange look on his face that Minato misunderstood.

"You aren't in trouble, as far as I know," Minato says, face falling neutral. "It's just a precautionary not to let anyone into the tower during wartimes."

Sasuke looks at him with a blank expression. "What?"

"You appeared slightly paler, I though perhaps you were concerned about the Hokage coming down to meet you," Minato says.

Oh, right. Forget Orochimaru, Sasuke still has to deal with what he'll say to the Hokage. Sasuke's never had any issues with the Third, not really. He took care of Sasuke when his clan died.

_Because he ordered it, _the voice whispers again and Sasuke physically shakes himself to rid it from his consciousness.

"No," Sasuke finally says after a moment of staring back at Minato's inquisitive look. "I am not worried about the Hokage." His voice was a little sharper than he may have wanted it. He probably should be worried about Hokage, despite his words. The man was still a legend and while he's also an old man, even now, he's not as old as he was when Sasuke last saw him.

Sasuke's decided. He'll answer whatever he has to, then skedaddle. He can't stay in this village any longer than he already has. If he asks Sasuke where he come from... he'll just not respond. Yeah, that'll work. Sasuke's head is not working anymore. He has to think of an escape strategy in case this entire thing goes south in a hurry. He'll be going up against... every shinobi in the Leaf, if it does. Is he really ready for that? The last thing Sasuke needs is to get severely hurt in this forsaken village.

_Don't you want to die?_

Sasuke's blood chills down to subzero temperatures in seconds. That voice... it sounded like Naruto. Is that what this was? Did Naruto truly send Sasuke here to die? Had he so little faith that Sasuke would be able to be trusted, had they been able to beat the dead Goddess? But then why did he send him here? What was the point? Shouldn't Sasuke just have died along side the rest of his team? Why would Naruto chose to send him here?

He kept asking himself, but he just couldn't come up with the answer: Did Naruto really hate him?

Was this just for him to suffer alone? Surrounded by people who could never accept him? Who would never offer him what he needed?

And what was that? Sasuke wasn't sure anymore. He didn't know what he wanted, let alone what he needed.

Maybe he did want to die.

Sasuke was never the dramatic kind. He would never kill himself. No matter how bad it was. He would rather die as a man, on his feet, than on his knees. So what is Sasuke doing here? In the village that he hates? Surrounded by people he would never love and that would never love him?

"Minato, good. I knew you were perfect for this job," the Third's very distinctive voice pulls Sasuke from the dark place his mind was slipping into. Sasuke looks up to see the Third, flanked by a team of ANBU, walking toward him. Minato straightens up from where he was leaning against the side of the gate and bows respectfully to the older man.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," he says humbly. He straightens up and turns to Sasuke. "This is the Third Hokage."

"Sarutobi, Hiruzen, I know," Sasuke says.

Hiruzen stops a few feet in front of Sasuke, looking the same as Sasuke remembered, but with a lot more dark hair to his beard. He looks up at Sasuke with calculating dark eyes. It's while standing under the intensity of those eyes that Sasuke is reminded that this man, while old, is still very _very _dangerous and should not be underestimated.

"Have we met before?" the Third asks.

"No." The word was simple and even, without a hint of emotion.

A pause, Hiruzen and Sasuke both study each other for a moment. Then, "May I learn your name, son?" Hiruzen asks evenly.

Sasuke doesn't miss a beat. "No. It's not important." But his teeth did clench at the term 'son'. Who'd of thought that, of all things, would strike a nerve with him?

"A name, no matter whose, is always important," Hiruzen says, folding his hands behind his back.

Sasuke pauses for a moment, staring at the old man, wondering if this was even smart. Would the Hokage kill him if he just suddenly bolted? Even if it was away? Probably.

"I'm not important," Sasuke says. Hiruzen tilts his head a bit at that, making Sasuke uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

"I don't believe that," he says easily. "You've been assisting our shinobi on the front lines. I think that makes you important in my book."

Sasuke doesn't mean to say it, it just slips past his lips, "There is a stark difference between 'important' and 'intriguing', Lord Third." The Third doesn't respond right away, staring at Sasuke from beneath his signature red and white Hokage hat, making Sasuke shift his weight from one foot to the other, feeling greatly uncomfortable.

The ANBU, Minato and the two other Jounin must have noticed the shifting weight and sudden anxiety because they all straighten up a bit. If Sasuke makes a move, they'll be on him as fast as their muscles will allow. That makes Sasuke's more nervous. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't want to die, not really, but he can't find any reason why not. If he was asked right now, what his reasons for living was, he'd have no way of answering.

Yet there is still a bit of self-preservation instincts inside Sasuke, or else he wouldn't be so off-put by the Third.

"I suppose you're right in that regard," Hiruzen says, the Hokage gown ruffles a bit as the wind picks up. The hair laying against Sasuke's nose tickles him a bit, but he doesn't want to move. Too _cautious _to move just yet.

"You're an Uchiha?" the Third asks, catching Sasuke off guard, making the younger man stiffen for a split second before he forces himself to relax and hope that his facial expression remains neutral.

"Depends on your definition," Sasuke says slowly.

Hiruzen finally shifts slightly, his weight moving a bit. This is the first time in their entire exchange that the man has moved his feet from their planted positions. It unnerves Sasuke even more. His stance is sure and strong, even Minato was shifting slightly behind the older man. With the Third it was like every movement was purposeful, but the most minute shift of his weight was something that he didn't have strategically placed.

This man is very dangerous _indeed._

"And how would you define it?" the Third asks casually, like they were talking about the weather, which did nothing but continue to unsettle Sasuke.

"I have blood ties that are similar to them, but there is no family here," Sasuke says illusively. "Am I in trouble, Lord Hokage? Or may I go?"

"What gives you the impression you are in trouble, son?" Hiruzen asks, the term 'son' making Sasuke unintentionally flinch again.

The Third must have noticed Sasuke's unease with that term, yet he used it again. Was he trying to force Sasuke into a corner? Because if he was, he was doing a wonderful job. Sasuke was starting to feel really trapped. Minato must have noticed, for he shifts closer slightly with large blue eyes locked on Sasuke.

Sasuke's black eye flickers passed the Hokage to the five ANBU and three Jounin before looking back down at the old man, hoping that was clairification enough and Sasuke didn't have to open his mouth, he didn't trust it right now.

"They," Hiruzen says airily, as if he barely noticed them there, "are here for my protection. Not for you. There is no need for you to be tense."

"I don't want to be here," Sasuke grounds out. "If I've done nothing wrong, Lord Hokage, allow me to go. And don't send shinobi after me. Getting caught once was a fluke, it won't happen again."

He didn't intend for it to sound like a threat, but the shinobi behind the Third must have taken it that way, for they tensed up at that, except for Minato. Other than the Hokage, he was visibly the most calm of them, still staring at Sasuke with relaxed body language, except, if Sasuke had to guess, underneath that regulation blue Jounin pants, his legs were tense. No doubt a seal is already on Sasuke somewhere and it would allow him to close the distance in mili-seconds if Sasuke proved to be a threat.

The Hokage holds up a hand, halting anyone from making a move. The Leaf shinobi settle back a bit in obedience, but Sasuke is thoroughly anxious, squeezing the hilt of his sword reflexively, underneath his cloak.

"I believe that," Hiruzen says easily. "I just wanted to hear your intentions for helping out our shinobi. Surely there is a reason."

"I'm not," Sasuke says. After a moment of the Third staring at him with a slightly puzzled look, he elaborates, albeit hesitantly. "I'm just honing my skills. It's not a matter of if they are shinobi of any village. I'm not doing it to help the Leaf, I'm doing it to help me." It's probably the most selfish thing Sasuke's said in a while and yet the Third didn't appear to believe him. Sasuke has to ignore how much the words sounded like what Orochimaru's voice in the back of his head whispered to him.

"And my shinobi do not pose a threat to you?" the Third asks simply, but Sasuke feels completely trapped. He walked right into that one without even realizing it. If he says that he didn't perceive them as a threat, he may be shown just how deadly they can be, but if he says that he does, he's not sure he can be convincing enough to follow through with that notion.

"Sasuke," the ex-avenger says suddenly, hoping to turn the coarse of this entire situation. Anything to momentarily give Sasuke a breath of fresh air. A moment to think.

The old man looks caught off guard by that. "Pardon?"

"My name. It's Sasuke." And of course Sasuke was named after the Third's deceased father. If Sasuke believed it'd help, he'd have crossed his fingers and prayed that the old man wouldn't think that he was playing some sort of game.

Whatever he assumed Sasuke's name was, it wasn't that. It's kind of interesting to see the old man look so surprised, before relaxing. "Sasuke, eh?"

Sasuke nods slowly. "My parents respected you, Lord Hokage. I am given my name from them as a tribute to your father." A little bit of truth couldn't hurt, right?

The Third Hokage appears to take a moment to really think about that. He reaches up with his right hand and strokes his beard for a moment, staring up at Sasuke, as if trying to see if the young man was telling the truth or not. Sasuke's not sure how long the Third was staring at him before he finally spoke, but Sasuke didn't breath once the entire wait. He was completely out of practice talking to people. Not that he was all that good at doing it before, but at least he wasn't so strange about it before.

Now every time he speaks, it sounds weird.

"I see," the Third finally says, still stroking his beard. "That was awfully kind of them."

Sasuke's shoulders relax a bit. "I suppose."

A moment of pause, then, "Did you lose your left eye, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's black eye flickers over to Minato, wondering if it was simple curiosity or if Minato told him about Sasuke's Rinnegan. Whereas Minato seems to be reading Sasuke like an open book, Sasuke can't interpret the look the blond haired man is giving him. Maybe he hasn't said anything to the Hokage yet, or he has. Either way, this is a chance to either lie, or tell the truth and earn cookie points. Obviously the future Fourth recognized the eye, for he whispered it's name under his breath when he saw it.

There is no avoiding it.

"No," Sasuke says, looking back at the Third. "I still have my eye." Perhaps that would be enough.

"Then why close it?" Hiruzen asks.

Guess not. "Why does it matter?"

"Hm," the Third says, rubbing his beard, thinking about something, before finally dropping his hand and putting it behind his back with the other. "What are your plans, Sasuke? What will you do once you leave here?"

It was such a simple question but for a moment, Sasuke didn't know how to answer. What would the old man accomplish by knowing this? What was in it for him? What did it even matter?

"I'll decide when I get there," Sasuke says evenly, surprising himself, he feels anything but calm. His hand, wrapped around the hilt of his sword, is cramping up from prolonged tensing of the muscles. He relaxes his grip and wiggles his fingers around.

"Why did you leave the Leaf?" Hiruzen asks suddenly.

Sasuke stares at him for a moment, wondering if he should try and lie, but when the man just stares back at him with patiences and nonjudgement, a part of Sasuke wants to cling to the familiar old man. Even if this Third has never seen him before today, he still reminded Sasuke a lot of his Third. The Third showed great remorse for the death of his clan and other than that, he tried to look after Sasuke.

Perhaps, he was owed a bit of the truth. "There is nothing here for me. I left when I was thirteen. This is the first time..." Sasuke trails off. He was going to say this was his first time back, but that's not true. He's never been in this village. This wasn't his home. He wasn't born here. Just like the Uchiha of this village weren't his family, this village wasn't his.

"You betrayed the Leaf?" Minato asks incredulously, like he couldn't believe it.

Sasuke turns his single black eye toward the blond. "No. This isn't my home. I am not, nor have I ever been a shinobi of this village."

"You aren't a registered shinobi," the Third says, eyebrows raised slightly. Sasuke was going to say no, that he was, but in fact, that worked in his favor. If he wasn't a registered shinobi, which he isn't here, then it's not considered betrayal and he's not a missing ninja. There is no way they could prove it. Even if such a thing was strange for this time. His brother would have been sent to train in the academy at the age of four. Sasuke was thirteen and left, an unregistered shinobi? That was far fetched.

"Why did you leave?" the Third asks again.

Sasuke stares at him, wondering what else there was to be said. Then, a horrible thought crossed his mind, and before he could really think it through, he says, in a low tone, "I don't like the _foundation _in which this village was built upon."

"How dare you!" One of the Jounin snaps, taking a step forward. He misinterpreted Sasuke's words as that he didn't believe in the Will of Fire but the Third's eyes narrow a bit dangerously, catching Sasuke's hidden meaning.

_ROOT._

The Third holds his hand up to silence the Jounin, eyes still locked on Sasuke, trying to see something that Sasuke doubted was even there. "Oh?" he finally says, giving Sasuke a chance to elaborate.

But Sasuke has nothing more to say. "If that is all, Lord Third, then may I leave?"

"What is out there for you?" Minato asks, stepping up next to one of the ANBU near the back. "Forgive me, Lord Hokage, but I just want to know, Sasuke, what is so important out there that you have to live in solitude. You left because there is nothing here for you? Then why not make something? Give yourself something to stay here for."

Sasuke barks a laugh. Minato will never know how much like Naruto he just sounded. But the sound catches the Leaf shinobi off guard, making a few of them jump in surprise.

"That's very humorous of you, Minato-san," Sasuke says with mock joy. "Why had I not thought of something so simple?" His entire demeanor sombers up almost immediately, as he stares levelly at the blond man. "You are a powerful shinobi, Minato-san, but what's unique about you can't be removed from you."

"What do you mean by that?" the ANBU captain asks slowly, this being the first time he spoke. A signature black '1' on the forehead of his mask.

Sasuke turns his gaze over to him and opens his Rinnegan eye. "You know as well as I, captain, that some thing, certain radicalists would break a lot of rules to get their hands on..." he takes a moment to scan the crowd. "There is very little that my eye cannot see." His eyes stop on the only female in this group, the other Jounin. "It's going to take after you." He nods to her stomach.

For a moment, her expression was blank, as if she didn't understand, before a look flickers across her face and she looks down at her stomach, eyes wide. Her hands fly upward, one going to her stomach and the other one to her mouth in shock.

"I'm pregnant?" she asks, sounding a mixture of surprised, and horrified.

Sasuke nods. "I can see it's chakra system pulling together with my eye."

"So this is the Rinnegan," the Third says wearily, looking into the purple swirling eye with tomoe in it.

"No, this is a different form of the Rinnegan," Sasuke says. "It's a mixture of the Sharingan and Rinnegan. That eye can perform both, and shall never fall into enemy hands." Sasuke weight again, this time pausing a moment to listen to the soft sounds of his beads clacking against each other. He turns his gaze back to Minato. "How about that? Can you guarantee me, that if I sought some sort of home in this village, that I wouldn't have to worry about agents of the government trying to steal my eye? Who will ensure that? You?"

Minato doesn't respond, staring at Sasuke with this strange look on his face. He might not really know who Sasuke was referring to, and that was fine. Sasuke doubted that he learned much about it before he died. And it wouldn't have mattered much if he had.

"No, I will," Hiruzen says, catching Sasuke off guard. He looks down at the old man to see his stern, determined face. "The Rinnegan of legends is a powerful weapon that cannot be risked falling into the wrong hands anywhere. Inside Konoha or outside. You are an Uchiha and this is the home of the Uchiha, I would like to formally ask you to return."

Sasuke tilts his head to the side. "Danzo-"

"Will never know you have that eye," the Third says sternly, cutting Sasuke off. "He cares deeply for the wellbeing of the village, and while I respect him for that, such radical beliefs may one day cause more harm than good. A part of the reason I want you here is selfish, keeping a legendary Rinnegan near is a major asset, but also, you are a child of the Leaf and should be allowed to live here. If you are threatened here, then you have the right to defend yourself. But I can't truly help you if you aren't here."

Sasuke stares at Hiruzen blankly, not understanding. "What are you saying?"

Hiruzen locks eyes with Sasuke. "It is irrefutable that the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths mustn't fall into the wrong hands, so to ensure that you, a boy who somehow managed to obtain it, stays safe, I will keep you by my side. As a personal guard of the Hokage."

_For the Reviewers:_

_1\. bribright91: Thanks!_

_2\. Mizuki hikari: Thank you so much! You know, I haven't thought much about that. Which do you think? He would be able to get the cats, yeah. Hm..._

_3\. Masy: Thank you!_

_4\. erison: Oh, you have? Is mine really the first? I suppose I never noticed. O.O Thank you!_

_5\. Mearn-Tahl: Yeah, I didn't really know if I would originally like it either, but I think I am. XD I hope you come to like it!_

_6\. Mimic: Thank you! I hope I don't disappoint!_


	4. The Antagonizing Uchiha

**Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long wait! I just started my new job and was moving to a new house and everything was just a mess! Forgive me! I will not give up on this story, okay? No worries! I love hearing all that you guys have to say, so thank you! Let me know what you think and enjoy!**

**Warnings: Language, maybe. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea was brought to me by RedGoddessEclipse and asked me to write it for her. :3**

**Word Count: 5,485**

Sasuke blankly stares at the Third Hokage, not sure he heard right. "Are you asking me to stay here? Are you asking me to stay here and look after _you?_" It was so absurd to even hear it coming front the Third's mouth. For a second there, Sasuke wonders if he dreamt that entire thing or if he really was just going insane from the lack of human contact for the last couple of weeks. It wouldn't be that far out of the realm of possibilities. Perhaps Sasuke isn't even in the Hidden Leaf right now. Perhaps he's in the middle of the forest, delirious from fever, talking to trees right now for all he knows.

"Yes," Hiruzen says, as if they were talking about the weather and not someone who hadn't stepped foot into the Leaf in years suddenly becoming the protector of the Third Hokage.

Sasuke snorts, leaning his weight on one hip and glaring at the old man. "Are you insane?" He asks, staring down at the man, then he asks again, "Are you really insane?" He shakes his head in exasperation. If no one else was going to ask the question, then he was.

Hiruzen smiles. "What's so insane about this? I thought I was being very clear about why I was doing this. You are a child of this village, Sasuke, named after my father, and have a very special gift. Whether you meant to do it or not, you have been helping the people of our village by keeping the citizens safe, and making sure their protectors and their family return home safe from the front line. That's enough for me."

Any protest that Sasuke had dies at his throat. He looks around the front gate leading to the Hokage's tower. He's trying to find any reason he can to get out of this. Sure, he can fight his way out, and maybe he'll win, but is it really worth it? Is it really worth walking around living a mundane, boring lifestyle that he's been living for what feels like forever, when it's only been a couple of weeks? But yes, it felt like forever.

But what would Sasuke do here? 'Protect the Hokage'? What did that even mean? The man didn't leave the village. Like, at all. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to follow the old man around whenever he leaves the village, but there is a certain level of freedom that Sasuke is used to, if he's forced to stay in this village - in that office - all day, everyday. He'll go mad.

Naruto may have been okay with subjecting himself to that hell but that wasn't how Sasuke wanted to die. Not that he had much to live for, but it didn't mean that he was going to just throw his life away. Or maybe he is. But he doesn't want to. And to be honest, he doesn't really know what he wants anymore.

His life was a hot mess.

"I can't stay here," Sasuke says, taking a step back from the Third. "I don't belong here. I can't be village bound, it's not for me. I appreciate the offer, but I have to decline."

The Third looks nonplussed, taking a moment to look around at the shops behind Sasuke, trying to get his thoughts in order. Sasuke didn't think he said anything surprising, but maybe there was something in his voice that gave way to his internal turmoil. Sasuke wouldn't doubt it, he didn't have much control over himself anymore, it seems.

"Is it about wanting to be out in the field?" Minato asks, glancing over at the Third. "Forgive me, my lord, for butting in." The Third gestures for him to continue. Sasuke has to guess the Third will overlook just about anything to keep Sasuke close.

Sasuke shakes his head. "I've been on my own for a long time. It's not like I feel some sort of Leaf-pride. It's more me, than them. Not that I much care for _them._"

Minato nods, ignoring that last bit and stepping up next to the Third. "I understand. It's hard to give up freedom. I'm sure something can be worked out, right my lord? Besides, someone of Sasuke's talents, even without the use of his eyes - both Sharingan and Rinnegan - would be useful on the battlefield. His kenjutsu is top notch, may even be close to rivaling that of Kushina. It can be at his own discretion with his eyes. I'm not so sure the chances of him running into the absolute need to use them will be too great. At least, not that I can perceive."

Sasuke leans on one hip, reaching up with his free hand to run through the dark blue locks. "Perhaps... I just need to get out of this village. I'm not equipped with settling down yet."

"It's understandable," Minato says, turning to the Hokage. "If you want, Lord Hokage, Sasuke and I can stay together. When you need him, just use one of my hirashin kunai and I'll bring him here to you." Minato shrugs his shoulders. "I don't mind helping out. Rain or shine, day or night."

Hiruzen raises an eyebrow, smiling faintly. "You would do that?"

Minato nods. "I am very willing, my lord. Besides, we could still use the help on the front lines. We can never have too much help." He looks over at Sasuke with big blue eyes. "Would that be okay with you?"

Sasuke relaxes a little bit more, seeing that the Hokage wasn't outwardly opposed of the idea. He looks over at Minato and shrugs his shoulders. "I guess... I don't really mind." This entire thing was very strange to Sasuke. They were going out of their way to accommodate him.

Why?

"What's going on?" Sasuke asks, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I get that you want to keep my eye close, but this is a lot of leeway for someone you don't know. How do you even know I can be trusted?" He shifts back a bit, as if trying to put a bit more distance between himself and the Konoha shinobi. He eyes them wearily.

Minato and the Third share a look that doesn't settle Sasuke's nerves. At first, it almost appeared as though they were going to lie, Sasuke could just see it on the blond's face. Just like his future son, the blond was capable of being just as expressive, but then he seemed to see Sasuke already leaning away, preparing to call the blond out on the lie and leave the village forever, for he settles for the truth. Or at least, enough of the truth that Sasuke couldn't tell the difference. Because Minato takes a step closer and looks down into Sasuke's eye.

"I have been watching you since you got here... and I won't stop for a while," he says slowly. "And I've already put precautionary measures in place just in case something goes wrong..." He trails off, studying Sasuke's reaction to this truth, however much of the truth it was.

Normally someone would be insulted by his words, but in fact, Sasuke felt the opposite. There was two things that Sasuke felt by his words, one being relieved because that is probably the only thing they've said today that's made legit sense to him. Sasuke is an unknown and should be treated as such. Being treated as anything but is both uncomfortable and unnatural and he doesn't like it. The second one being that it's flattering in a shinobi-sense, to be told that. He was a great enough threat that the legendary Fourth Hokage is willing to put a seal on him and could kill him in seconds.

Now, as strange is that is to think, it's true. The life of a shinobi is that of death upon others and one day, death upon oneself. Put into any other situation is foreign to Sasuke and not something he's sure to get used to. Knowing that one wrong move could be his last, relaxes him in a strange sense. That is something he can deal with. This is a field that he knows how to tread.

"Fine," Sasuke says, nodding. Minato looks relieved that Sasuke wasn't insulted by his words. Sasuke looks over at the Third. "What now?"

Minato steps back and lets the Hokage be the one to speak. "We will work through the finer details, I think, and then send the two of you on your way. Minato isn't wrong about what he said. It's important to keep assets that can be vital to the victory in this war on the battle field."

Sasuke shrugs his shoulders. "Fine."

* * *

Before Sasuke knew it, he was back on the front lines with Minato. There was a lot of talk about Sasuke's new position, a required locator seal and silencing seal so Sasuke couldn't talk about village secrets before he was sent on his way. Minato, if he were a puppy, would practically be swaying back in forth with the force of his wagging metaphorical tail with how much he was practically beaming.

Once again, and probably not for the last time today, he was _creeping Sasuke out._

This man's willingness to believe in Sasuke was borderline annoying. Whenever Sasuke dared look at his one time arch rival's dad, the man was either staring at him curiously with knowing eyes, or beaming like an idiot. Now, Sasuke is well aware that the man isn't an idiot, but sometimes he's got to wonder. To be honest, this _is _Naruto's father, after all.

"Stop that," Sasuke snaps, glaring at the blond, who sits next to him around the fire pit. They were in a forward operating base that pointed toward Iwa forces. If Sasuke squinted his eyes, he could see their camp fires flickering far away in the darkness. The base was alive, people running to and from, heading to bed or just getting up for their shift, just being deployed or just coming in. Those that are gathered around the fire pit, resting or eating their dinner, as it is now mid-evening, stare at Sasuke wearily.

He's a stranger in their camp, and if it were anyone beside him than Minato, his welcome may not have been as smooth. Sasuke came to learn, due to Minato's explanation when they first arrived, this was the main base of operations on this side of the lines and the commanding officer was none other than the infamous Shikaku Nara, now a young man and lacking a signature scar. Sasuke has to wonder when he manages to acquire the facial marking.

Though, his meeting with the man was brief, partly because a busy man like Shikaku Nara can't stay in one place too long, and partly because Minato insisted that Sasuke would need to quickly begin acclimating with his new fellow comrades before he has to head out to fight, Sasuke got the impression that man would be watching him closely. Sasuke wasn't disappointed. This distrustful man was definitely Shikamaru's father.

Shikaku grunted in approval but stared Sasuke down with familiar, narrow, hawk-like eyes, before Sasuke was pulled away by the blond to the fire pit, where he was currently staring into the fire with his one eye as opposed to eating the food that Minato had brought him. He was willing to bet that Minato would try nothing shady and poison his food or anything, but Sasuke was still a shinobi, he was smart enough to know not to act blindly. He would glance down at his plate disinterested before looking back into the flame.

"Are you him?" One of the Leaf ninja asks him, breaking Sasuke of his thoughts.

He stares back blankly, with one eye. "What?"

"The so-called Ghost of Konohargakure?" the man asks incredulously, eyebrows pulled together slightly. The rest of the conversations around the pit grow silent. Even Minato stares at him curiously, as if wanting to see what Sasuke would do.

Sasuke stares back at the man for a long time, trying to decide if it was worth responding to, before deciding not and turning his right eye back toward the fire with a noncommittal grunt. When the man's face twists into a look of both anger and annoyance, Sasuke says, hoping it'll appease them so they leave him alone, "You are welcome to think whatever you want."

The man, about ten years older than Sasuke, glares at the raven haired boy, annoyed. "Why can't you just answer the question?"

Sasuke sighs, not taking his eyes off the man. "Just how imperitive is it that you know the answer? How does that answer impact your life?"

"Hey," one of the other shinobi snaps, "where do you get off?"

"Look," Sasuke says, "I don't care to get along or play nice. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours. No need for any of this." He waves his hand around between them.

"Sasuke," Minato chides diplomatically, seeing the looks of anger around the fire, "don't you want to get to know the people you'll be working with?"

"No," Sasuke grunts, standing up, the three colorful beads clacking around his neck at the movements. He puts the untouched plate of food onto the stump he was sitting on. "I'll sleep in the forest."

Minato stands as well, holding his half eaten plate, taking a step after the raven haired boy. "That isn't necessary, Sasuke. I have a tent already set up that for you."

Sasuke pauses, looking over his shoulder at the blond. "Don't waste your time or breath. I'll stay close, but there is no reason for me to stay within the camp. Just find me when you need me, I'll be training." With that Sasuke spun on his heel and marched into the forest, ignoring the angry and annoyed glares at his back. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what made him feel antagonistic toward the Leaf ninja, but Sasuke certainly didn't go into this situation thinking he was going to stay in the camp with them. It would probably be the stupidest thing he's ever done.

At some point, Sasuke would have to sleep and there's no way he'd get comfortable surrounded by Leaf ninja. Especially if his greatest protection was a _tent. _Besides, he hasn't slept in anything but trees since he got here. He didn't perceive that changing any time soon so it's no love lost having to give up the minute bit of protection that tent could offer him.

Perhaps it's his new affinity for sage arts but Sasuke kind of likes being in the forest, surrounded by all that natural energy. It's the only thing that is soothing to the Rinnegan eye. Even though plants and animals come out as gray with white outlines to the Rinnegan, there is also a faint, pretty glow to them. When Sasuke sits upon the branch he's chosen as his bed at night, he would open his left eye and lay his hand across the rough bark, watching the faint glow absorb into his body. The tree was happily giving it's life energy to him. It had plenty to share.

Because of this, the Rinnegan could see in the dark. So long as there was any sort of life; chakra, humans, plants, the likes, Sasuke's eye could see. It was a good ability to have. Especially during wartime.

Thankfully, Minato doesn't follow Sasuke into the forest. He wouldn't need to, the man could get to him in seconds, both with the hirashin seal and the locator seal that Sasuke has on his person. But, as promised, Sasuke didn't stray too far away from the camp before he climbs up a suitable tree to a branch that could hold him before getting comfortable and closing his eyes.

As expected, Sasuke didn't sleep much that night, constantly scanning the area of approaching threats. No one dared come near him, though. Smart move, while they may be allies, Sasuke is not too keen on allowing people close when he's trying to be alone. Through the night, Sasuke's been sensing out a familiar nighttime companion that has been helping watch over him.

Sasuke opens his eyes when the snake slithers over his hands that he had folded onto his lap. It's yellow eyes glow in the darkness, running it's cold, slimy body over his fingers before curling up into a ball on his lap, keenly watching the world around them for Sasuke to sleep. Sasuke runs the pads of his fingers over the scales of it's back before shifting slightly to get comfortable and closing his eyes.

It's not an overly large snake. Probably Sasuke's arm length plus half, a splash of neutral colors along it's back, shades of browns and dark greens with yellow eyes and a slippery pink tongue that slips between it's mouth every couple of minutes when it hisses. It curls up into it's tight ball and watches the forest, there is a huge lump half-way down it's body, probably a forest mouse. In some ways, it's a mutual protective relationship between them. It watches over Sasuke while he sleeps, and Sasuke's presence scares away predators while it's digesting it's food. Two weeks ago it found Sasuke in one of his trees, getting ready to sleep for the night, and in a moment of loneliness, he beckoned it over.

It curled around his lap and watched the forest that night for Sasuke. It followed him around ever since. To be honest, Sasuke's surprised it found him after he was brought to the Leaf by the Flying Raijin. Maybe the snake was hiding in Sasuke's pack or something so it wouldn't lose him. Either way, it's back and their relationship continues.

Sasuke sit on the branch in silence for a long time, just listening to the sounds of the night before a strange urge comes over him. He shifts slightly, pulling the rectangular band tied around his waist off, holding it up so he can see it through the spaces between the leaves, the moonlight glittering off the smooth metal of the headband. The Konoha symbol stares back at Sasuke, like another reminder that he's not where he should be. This wasn't the headband he was given when he passed the Genin exams.

Not that he wanted that headband back, it's just that everything that was a symbol of who he once was, was slipping away. And he wasn't sure how he felt about that. But like all things, Sasuke doesn't want to think about it right now, so slipping the headband back under the cloak and tying it once more, he closes his eyes and tries to sleep.

It was about dawn when Sasuke finally got up, pulling the snake off of his lap before jumping down to the forest floor and begins scouting the area, getting a lay of the land while it's still early. The snake curls around his right arm and neck, settling around his shoulders as he walks. Sasuke follows the sound of moving water to a large river. He sits down at the edge of the river, extracting the snake from him and letting it down onto the ground. He crosses his legs and closes his eyes, focusing on his breathing and slipping easily into a meditative state.

It's about an hour later when he feels a presence approaching him from behind. He turns his head to the side, opening his right eye to see Minato walking toward him curiously. His head is slightly turned to the side and his steps are long and purposefully. It's almost like he's not trying to disturb Sasuke by being too loud, but doesn't want to run the risk of 'sneaking' up on the younger boy. When Sasuke acknowledges the blond, he smiles and walks a little more normally stopping next to the blue haired boy.

Sasuke looks down to see that the snake was gone, it probably slithered off a while ago.

"Good morning," Minato greets, looking over at the river.

Sasuke grunts in response. He turns his eye back forward before letting it slip closed and he continues his meditation. Sasuke's not sure how he feels about the blond future Hokage. The man is a lot more relaxed around him than he should. Sasuke's an unknown and yet this man keeps acting like they've been friends since the beginning of time. While Sasuke is learning where Naruto got _that _from, it's still strange.

The Fourth is a wartime baby. He was born and sent to war as a small child. He should be greatly mistrusting of any and all potential threats. Yet, he's not and for some reason, that bothers Sasuke. The man just didn't make sense to him.

_Perhaps that's because you're trying to compare him to Naruto, _that evil little voice in the back of his head sneers.

Sasuke shakes his head, forcing the evil voice away. Minato gives him a curious look, probably wonder if Sasuke was losing his mind. Sasuke was starting to wonder that himself.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asks, glaring at the blond in the corner of his eye.

Minato's curious look twists into a friendly smile, he lowers down next to Sasuke on his hunches, looking down at the blue haired boy. "How was your night, Sasuke?"

Sasuke glares more. "What do you want?" he repeats, annoyed at being blatantly ignored.

Minato's facial expression doesn't change at all. In fact, if anything, he seems almost amused at Sasuke's temperament, which only serves to annoy the younger man even more.

"It was good, I hope," Minato says kindly.

"Annoying," Sasuke grumbles, turning away again to face the river. "You're annoying me. State what you want or go away."

Minato sighs, as if he's dealing with an undisciplined child which aggravates Sasuke to no end. The blond couldn't be _that _much older than him and to be honest, war doesn't make a man wise. It just makes him an asshole, it seems. Sasuke might hate him, just like he hated Naruto. Both father and son annoy him to no end. What is with Sasuke's rotten luck with blonds? Why can't they leave him alone?

Sasuke's already deeply regretting going to see the Third. He should have ran when he has the chance. It's too late for regrets now.

"Sasuke," Minato says, resting his elbows on his knees, letting them be outstretched forward while he hunches over them, staring at Sasuke between long blond strands falling into his eyes, "are you ready to head out today?"

Sasuke turns his right eye toward the blond, face blank. "Is that what you're bothering me over? Don't bother me until we leave. I'll be ready."

Minato smiles a bit. "Don't you want some company?"

"No," Sasuke says blandly, turning away and closing his eye, "now go away."

This draws a laugh from the blond as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other. His laugh is soft and breathless, eyes closed with wrinkles around his eyes and nose, Sasuke could see his handsome face in his own peripheral. It just further annoys the blue haired boy.

"Very well, Sasuke," Minato says, sounding amused. "I'll leave you alone, then." He stands up, he goes up on his tip-toes and holds his hands up high, cracking his back. He settles back onto the balls of his feet, looking down at Sasuke. There is a moment of hesitation before he finally asks, "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"No," Sasuke says, letting out a long deep breath, forcing himself to relax and ignore the blond.

"Then I'll be back in a bit," Minato says softly before walking off. His footsteps are soft and quiet, like a trained predator stalking the forest for his prey. The thought causes Sasuke to open his eyes a bit and turn around to see that Minato was gone. Sasuke lets out a long winded sigh before turning back around and forcing himself to continue with his meditation.

* * *

"...we'll need support for the left flank," Shikaku was saying, pulling Sasuke from his day dreaming to look around the command tent. There is a about two dozen jounin standing around a map in the center of the tent. Minato stands to Sasuke left, hiding in his blind spot but the only one Sasuke is willing to bet wouldn't just attack him out of the blue. If the blond wanted to, he could have long ago.

Shikaku's hawk-like brown eyes scan the room, looking at each of the shinobi before him, stopping only on one person: Sasuke.

"Think you can handle that, mister...?" Shikaku says in a drawl reminiscent of Shikamaru's.

Sasuke returns his gaze with his right eye. "Yeah, I can." He doesn't know what he was told to do, but surely it can't be too hard.

"Do you even know what is needed of you?" One of the other jounin ask, unmistakable Uchiha black eyes locked on him. "Do you even know what Lord Nara asked for you to do?"

Sasuke shrugs his shoulders, unimpressed. He has no memories of this obvious double-of-a-cousin he probably once had. "Does it matter? I'm just here to pick up your slack."

"What did you say?" the Uchiha snaps.

"How dare you?" another jounin growls. All eyes now narrowed at Sasuke. The tension in the room becomes tangible in the air, Shikaku is the only one that doesn't react, even the other tacticians in the room turn around with wide eyes.

"How dare I what?" Sasuke asks, emotionlessly, turning his right eye away from the Uchiha to enraged brown haired jounin a few people away from him. He heads for the tent opening only for someone to reach out and grab Sasuke's inner left elbow, holding him in place. It's the Uchiha.

"Aren't you some sort of Uchiha?" the man asks, glaring down at Sasuke. "Is this how you're going to represent the clan?"

Sasuke's upper lip curls in disgust.

"Sasuke!" Minato calls out, a hint of warning in his voice. "Kei, let him go." He orders in a tone that is almost strange in the man's normally soft, kind voice. He's walking toward them with narrowed blue eyes. "Sasuke, we all have to work together, must you antagonize the people who are watching your back?" His voice is softer again, putting a hand on the Uchiha's, Kei's, shoulder. The Uchiha releases his grip on Sasuke's arm.

"Watching my back?" Sasuke asks incredulously. "I wouldn't trust these fools to find their ass with both hands and a map." That causes an uproar, now everyone is insulted, except for Shikaku. He's still standing where he was, at the head of the table, staring at Sasuke with his hawk eyes, picking the boy apart. "I've heard what they've done to people who were watching the backs of fellow Leaf ninja."

"Oh yeah?" one of the jounin growls, glaring daggers at Sasuke. "And what's that?"

Sasuke turns his gaze toward the man and in an eerily calm voice, somehow heard over the angered din, "The White Fang." And then he leaves.

* * *

Sasuke didn't originally think much about the story of the White Fang when Orochimaru told him, off-handedly one day while he was meditating. He didn't much care here or there about the woes of the people in the Hidden Leaf, but Orochimaru, for one of the many strange reasons that Orochimaru does the weird things that he does, kept telling the story.

It wasn't until he got to the end, with a sickening chuckle revealed the true name of the White Fang, "Sakumo Hatake. Your once beloved Sensei's father, Sasuke."

And that stuck with Sasuke. He mulled over it every once and a while over the years, as it was near the beginning of his time with Orochimaru. And every time he saw his Sensei afterward, he would think about that, even during the battle with Kaguya, somewhere in the back of his head, he wondered how someone so patriotic to the Leaf could be, when his father was forced into suicide by the same people he puts his life on the line for.

The thought of Orochimaru lying to him, had crossed his mind, on more than one occasion and on multiple different things, but anyone Sasuke asked; Kabuto or other Hidden Sound shinobi about it, their stories were all the same. He was on a mission, failed it to save the life of a comrade, and was later pushed to suicide by the Leaf's treatment of him afterwards.

Perhaps Orochimaru told him that story to show just how corrupt the Leaf was, which was later confirmed when Sasuke learned the truth about the death of his clan. A coup de ta that they never saw through to the end.

Either way, the thought of the White Fang returned to Sasuke on his way to the front line. Thankfully he memorized the map of where they needed to go before he began to zone out or he'd be completely lost.

"Sasuke," Minato's voice right over his right shoulder pulls him from his thoughts.

"What?" Sasuke snaps, glaring at the blond with both eyes. No one was immediately around them and he had full reserves.

Minato stares at him with a small crease between his two eyebrows. "About Sakumo - er, the White Fang..." he trails off, as if unsure of how to proceed. "It's not... it's not all black and white like you seem to believe..."

Sasuke scoffs, shaking his head. "I don't want to talk about the White Fang. I don't want to talk about what happened back there. I don't want to talk at all. Just shut up and let it go."

Minato doesn't speak for a long time, probably trying to organize his thoughts, before finally saying, softly, "Did you know Sakumo?"

"No," Sasuke says, turning his gaze forward, jumping to the next branch, the beads around his neck clacking together. There was a long pause, and Sasuke gets the feeling that there was more that the blond wanted to ask, so he looks over at him and snaps, "What?"

Minato stares at him with an unreadable expression on his face. "You just..." he hesitates, looking like he'll just leave the thought alone before deciding against it and continuing, "You just look like you took Sakumo's death personally... I was just curious if you knew him..."

"I didn't," Sasuke says blandly. "It's just more proof, that's all."

Minato stares at him, stopping on the next branch. Sasuke hesitates, stopping three branches ahead of him, but doesn't turn to look back at him. After a long, tense, silence, Minato finally says, "Proof of what?"

Sasuke shakes his head. "How fucked up the Leaf is," he says, words being carried away by the wind. He doesn't know if Minato heard him, nor does he care. He keeps going, eager now to get into battle and let his body do all the thinking for him. It's only a few seconds before Minato catches up. Sasuke doesn't look back to see his expression, not even all that sure he wants to, and Minato doesn't speak again the rest of the way to the front lines.

_For the Reviewers:_

_1\. YOCELIN: Thank you!_

_2\. silly60: Thank you!_

_3\. Mizuki hikari: Thank you for your feedback. I brought in a nighttime companion, sorry, it's not Minato yet, but this snake is a symbol of Sasuke's connection to his summons. It'll show that some things can't be lost and you'll see that in the chapters to come. Thanks again!_

_4\. Anime fangirl amb15: Yeah, sorry about the wait. I hope you liked it!_

_5\. erison: Yeah, I kinda had to get the story going, but Sasuke's still very connected to his ability to travel. He's not ready to sacrifice his freedom just yet. But all good things - especially those that we want - have to come to an end some day. The way I see it, Sasuke doesn't so much blame Hiruzen for the death of his clan, so much as the elders. I think he likes the old man for looking after him and keeping the promise to Itachi, but ultimately views the man as weak because while he is the Hokage, he allowed things, such as the death of the Uchiha clan, to go but unpunished and under the radar._

_6\. SexyZexy: Thank you very much. I just really love his End outfit. ouo._

_7\. melamariannie: Thank you!_

_8\. Kurai O: Aw, thank you. I'm starting to like pair as well, especially for what I have planned for the future. :3_

_9\. CherishRedemption: I'm sorry! I hope you liked it!_

_10\. Binx23: Yeah, I'm starting to like the premise as well. Just so we are on the same page, I completely agree with you. Sasuke is godly, especially now in the past but keep in mind, Sasuke, essentially lost the battle against Kaguya. I want it to be viewed, as least from Sasuke's point of view, that he's not quite strong enough yet. He doesn't have the mastery he needs yet. In a way, that'll stem back to whenever he thinks about his timeline. Everyone he knew was gone. The people that he would have ultimately laid his life down for were all gone. Yet another way to shove **Sasuke's inadequate as a shinobi **into the boy's face again. Because once again, he wasn't good enough. And yes, the reasoning behind Naruto's choice to send Sasuke there will haunt him - possibly forever and he'll eventually have to find some way to deal with it. Right now, he's dealing with it by lashing out at all Leaf Shinobi. I hope that clears it up a bit!_

_11\. Picas Lei-Fur: Thank you very much! I hope you continue to enjoy it!_

_12\. The Secret Sal: Thank you!_

_13\. Bloodstained Element: Thank you very much for taking the time to review!_

_14\. Sandsibscrazy: Thank you!_


	5. The Bridge

**Author's Note: So sorry about the wait! I absolutely love hearing all that you have to say and it's really spurred me on! I was kinda running low on ideas there for a while but once I really sat down and started writing, I managed to get this chapter out. I have some ideas about how to move along, but I love hearing from all of you! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

**Warnings: Language, maybe. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea was brought to me by RedGoddessEclipse and asked me to write it for her. :3**

**Word Count: 5,429**

Sasuke got what he wanted when he got to the battlefield: his body did all the thinking for him. Right away they asked him to assist on the lines and he was more than happy to do just that. He had his sword in his left hand as he spun around, knocking away kunai and shuriken flying his way and slicing open any that dared to get too close. In his right was a chakra rod. His moves were swift, efficient and with deadly accuracy. His body knew how to fight, how to defend itself, and when he sensed that there wasn't much threat on this battlefield, Sasuke left his body to it's own devices, but made sure to be aware enough to clock back in should the need arise.

It wasn't until the enemy had full on retreated when Sasuke finally stopped, he was weighed down by his heavy poncho sopping wet with sweat, did he realize that he had been battling for hours. He's effectively clocked out of the battle for hours, lost to his own emptiness.

He didn't miss the looks sent his way as he headed for the camp on the battle line to learn of his next orders. Minato caught him before he entered and scanned his body with his eyes, making note of all the small cuts and tares in his clothes and skin. He opens his mouth, probably about to insist that he go and visit a medical shinobi, but then appeared to think better of it and just quietly followed after the stoic Uchiha into the camp.

Sasuke just stops a few feet in, leaning against some of the crates filled with supplies, and crossing his arms over his chest. He looks over at Minato, not wanting to be obviously out of his element - which he is - but has to ask. "What are we doing now?"

"Waiting for orders," Minato says simply, then smiles. "Are you hungry?"

Sasuke stares at him for a moment, wondering if this was a ploy of some kind. It has been a while since he last ate and he is feeling fatigued, especially after the amount of movement he did today. But he wasn't about to admit that he needed help. If it came down to it, he would go out into the forest and hunt for his own food when he's alone, but if they are just going to leave again soon, he might as well eat while he's in the base.

"Maybe a bit..." Sasuke says slowly.

"Oh good," Minato says, kindly. "I was worried that you weren't eating. Come, let's go eat while we've got the time." He waves his hand for Sasuke to follow. The raven haired man paused for just a moment before bowing his head a bit and following the tall blond. Maybe a part of his aggravation stems from his hunger? He hadn't eaten in a while, maybe his blood sugar is low?

Or, he's stuck being a horribly irritable person for the rest of his life. There's that too.

And if that ends up being the case, nothing will be able to help his shitty attitude and Sasuke's going to be alone and miserable for the rest of his life. Wonderful. If that didn't tank his already bad mood, nothing could.

Minato must have been at this forward camp before - that or they are all structured similarly, but that wasn't a smart option so he'll go with the former - because he easily leads Sasuke over to where they were cooking some healthy, easy to make, broth, that will boost their chakra regrowth and energy. It's not the best stuff but it was more than Sasuke has had in a while and wolfed it down faster than he thought he would.

Sasuke sets the bowl of broth down next to himself on the stump, resting his hands against the wood on either side of him, and stares into the fire with his black right eye. The hot broth settled nicely in his belly, lightening his mood after what feels like forever being in his horrible pit.

Minato stands up, reaching down to take Sasuke's bowl too before walking over to the chunnin that was in charge of cooking the food. Sasuke follows him with his eye before letting it sip closed and he lets his head hang back. It's late evening. There are people shuffling around him, talking about the battle, or missions they just returned from, family back home. All things Sasuke didn't care to really listen to. All things Sasuke didn't care to really think about either.

Sasuke didn't want to hear about siblings and parents and spouses or anything like that. He didn't want to hear about getting fucked over on the last mission someone was on. He didn't want to hear that they time back with their loved ones were awesome and ended too soon, or that they were "sad to go but knew that they were needed here." Sasuke didn't care for any of that.

For a moment, their voices disappear into the back of Sasuke's mind and he finally notices how tired he is. His mind is still strong and alert, but his body is tired from the battle today. Not something a few hours rest couldn't take care of. Even meditation would be fine. Just something to rest his body before the next time they have to head out.

Sasuke opens his eyes as Minato walks back over to him. "We'll be on standby for now," he says, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning on one hip, head tilted to the side. "I think we should both get some rest while we can, these sort of times are few and far between and rarely do they last long. But I do think that you should remain close. We may only have a few minutes notice before something happens."

Sasuke stares at him blandly. "No one can sneak up on me," he says drolly. Whether that's true or not is circumstantial. Sasuke doesn't care to debate one way or the other and thankfully it appears that neither does Minato, for he shrugs in response to that.

"Fine," he says with a placating lilt to his voice. "But I would still feel better keeping you close. Please try and stay in camp tonight. I know it's not your thing, but..."

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Oh shut up. I'll stay close." Minato smiles.

"Thank you."

There is an awkward moment where they are just staring at each other before Sasuke, perpetually annoyed since perhaps the day he was born, stands up and looks around for a moment before picking a direction and walking. Minato isn't far behind.

"Where are you going, Sasuke?"

"Nowhere," Sasuke mutters.

"You literally just promised me, Sasuke," Minato says, easily able to keep pace with the blue haired boy. He sounded tired, like dealing with Sasuke was draining his energy from him.

In some ways, it pleased Sasuke to know that he was giving Naruto's dad through a similar hell that he went through - moreso dealing with someone who felt like they sucked the life out of Sasuke just by being in the general vicinity as him - but at the same time, he felt bad. The Fourth Hokage never did him wrong. Nothing. Other than being part of the reason that Naruto was brought into the world, but Sasuke had made peace with that long ago. Naruto was there to stay.

Or so he thought.

Minato is trying to help Sasuke. A hell of a lot harder than Sasuke would have tried to help someone else. He's been putting up with a lot of shit because of Sasuke and still has to stay with him. The least that Sasuke could do is try and not make it such a chore. The Fourth hasn't done anything suspicious or alarming since Sasuke met him and has gotten nothing from their exchanges other than attitude and annoyed looks from his comrades that Sasuke happened to piss off in passing. Still, he hasn't complained.

In fact, throughout this entire thing, he's tried hard to respect Sasuke's wishes, whatever they may be. Even though it's only been a few days, it must have been tiring for him. Sasuke wants to be nicer to the Fourth, he owes the blond that much, but in some ways, if he starts to accept this place, these people, then he's admitting that everything else is gone. His home, his family, those annoying people that never gave up on him. They, along with their pasts, presents, and futures, would all go with them.

And Sasuke never got the chance to tell them he was sorry.

Sasuke stops suddenly. Minato barely notices and nearly bumped into the back of Sasuke. He tilts his head curiously and steps around the blue haired young man and stare down at him.

"Sasuke?" Minato asks, blinking. "Are you okay?"

Sasuke swallows, pushing away his thoughts. "Yes," he says, but it lacks something Sasuke doesn't want to think about. "I'm fine. I'll stay in the camp. I'm just going to be sleeping up in one of the trees."

Minato looks up at the trees as if he forgot they were there. When he looks back down at Sasuke, he looks doubtful. "Are you sure? There are plenty of tents. You can used one..."

Sasuke swallows again, feeling like something was stuck in his throat. He couldn't think of a way to express the reason he didn't want to sleep in this place. Something inside of him felt tight and heavy and all Sasuke could say was, "I want to be alone."

It's at that moment that Minato's eyes lit up in understanding, seeing the shift in Sasuke. Something was upsetting him and he was just trying to get away from Minato.

The blond jounin nods slowly. "Alright..." he says slowly. "If you need anything, just let me know, alright? I won't be far." He hesitates a moment, debating if he should take back his words and stay - maybe even prod at Sasuke to find out what changed - but decided against it and went to walk past Sasuke only to pause one last time. He glances toward Sasuke but the boy's single black eye was locked on the tree in front of him, trying to ignore the blond. Sasuke's glad that Minato was on his left, not able to see the look in Sasuke's eye.

He doesn't know what the look is, but he doesn't want the older man to see it.

"I..." Minato hesitates. "I'll see you in a bit, Sasuke." With that, Minato left. And Sasuke felt horrible.

Sasuke pressed against the top of the tree, overlooking the camp and could barely breath. The truth of his pain hitting him as hard as Kaguya to his gut. In his heart, all this time, once Sasuke learned the truth about his family and his home, Sasuke wanted to return to change things, to make them better. For himself, and for everyone. But most of all, he wanted to see those annoying people again and tell them, truthfully, that he was sorry.

Sorry that he couldn't understand their love. That he couldn't return it. That he turned his back on them when all they ever wanted was to help him, be with him, and protect him. That he thought that they were expendable, worthless and a waste of his time.

Sorry that he couldn't see through his own hate and rage. That he wasn't able to see the world for what it truly was until it was all too late. No one would ever love and care for him like Itachi and the rest of them. His classmates, his teammates, his friends. Life could have been different - better! - had Sasuke been stronger than the curse of hatred. If Sasuke's stupid dedication to a father that tolerated him, a mother that babied him and clansmen he barely knew wasn't stronger than his deep love for Itachi, maybe he'd have been able to see that he was believing in the wrong people all along.

Konoha, Orochimaru, and even Obito. All people he chose over those that mattered.

He didn't get the chance to tell them that he was sorry. That while he doesn't claim to be innocent now, or in the future, he does want them to understand that he saw them for what they really were, even if they never forgave him. At least they knew.

But now Sasuke will never have a chance to tell them. He'll never be able to apologize. And now he must live with that forever.

* * *

Two months.

Sasuke bounced around the front lines with Minato for about a month before he met Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara. Minato's team. Minato was so proud to introduce them to Sasuke and watched closely as Sasuke stared down at Kakashi, for once being the taller of the two. But neither said anything to one another. Kakashi didn't appear to know Sasuke - which Sasuke already knew that - and Sasuke didn't let on his relationship with his some-day sensei. Minato appeared slightly disappointed for not being able to discover whatever he was looking for in the two but thankfully didn't let it keep him down for long.

Sasuke hung around as they trained. Sasuke was surprised to see how different his sensei was as a child. Kakashi Hatake was a little asshole. Not that Sasuke was any better, but when Kakashi said that Sasuke reminded him of himself, he wasn't kidding. Many of their mannerisms were similar. No wonder Minato wasn't too overly perturbed when dealing with Sasuke, because he dealt with the same things when dealing with Kakashi! This guy was a saint!

Other than meeting Minato's team, little has changed between them. Sasuke's realization left him depressed most of the time, that he effortlessly hid behind a nasty attitude, hoping the acutely attentive future Fourth wouldn't be able to notice. If he had noticed something wrong, Minato never brought attention to it, which gave Sasuke the illusion that he didn't lose control of all aspects of his life.

Just most of them.

Sasuke didn't say anything to Kakashi, ignored Obito and grunted at Rin whenever she tried to talk to him. Minato would just smile and shrug when his students looked at him after trying to talk to Sasuke. Thankfully Kakashi was good at hiding his interest in Sasuke, and didn't outright try to interact with him, which suited his future student just fine while Obito looked a little put off by one of his supposed clansmen just blatantly ignoring him, but the little bastard was lucky Sasuke didn't just punt him off the planet for what he would come to do.

But it was two months after Sasuke realized that he would never be able to apologize to his one-time friends, team and village, that he was finally allowed to go somewhere on his own. It was a situation that they needed Minato for, but Minato requested if Sasuke could go in his stead. His team was currently on a mission that he wanted to ensure they saw to the end. Someone higher up approved and Sasuke was sent instead.

It was the enemies main supply route that went over some bridge Sasuke didn't care to learn the name of. In fact, they must have never repaired it after Minato originally destroyed it, because Sasuke hadn't heard of it in his time. He wasn't really doing much to help Minato on his mission, just tagging along, and was relieved to finally have a quick reprieve from his babysitter and headed to the location specified. There were dozens of shinobi present, trying to formulate sneak attacks to crippled this bridge and cut off enemy supplies. And there was something in the explanation about Kusa? Sasuke didn't know. And didn't really care.

They did tons of different things, trying to get close but Iwa and Kumo were unwilling to just sit around and do nothing and was able to rebuff them every single time. Even straight on jutus were repelled. No one had anything strong enough.

"Shit," the jounin in charge grunts as the Leaf ninja scrabble back to the safety of the trenches after another failed attempt to destroy the bridge. "Does anyone have any ideas?" He looks around at the tired and worn faces of the shinobi around him. No one spoke up. He looks over at Sasuke and sighs. "This is why we wanted Minato. No offence, but the barrier they've erected around bridge is too powerful for normal ninjutsu to break through."

Sasuke glances over at the bridge, Sharingan revealing the powerful barrier, shimmering with chakra. "Hm."

The jounin looks desperate. "Do you know anything about seals?"

Sasuke glances over at him with his single eye. "No," he says simply. "Not particularly."

The jounin's shoulders slump a bit in exhaustion. "Perfect," he mutters. "Then, perhaps you have any ideas? We've been at this for days and all we are succeeding in doing is losing more and more men. We told headquarters our issue and they sent you. There must be something that you can do."

Sasuke glances back over at the barrier. "How important is it that we destroy this bridge? Does it really matter?"

The jounin looks annoyed, not liking that Sasuke didn't understand the importance of stopping the enemies main supply route. Sasuke didn't want to explain that he wasn't stupid enough not to understand that in any situation if someone doesn't have supplies they will lose. He just didn't understand if this one supply route was really so important.

"It's important," the jounin says drolly, rubbing some sweat and dirt from his eyes. "Important enough that if we don't find a way to destroy this bridge soon, we'll probably lose this war."

Sasuke doubted this one bridge, no matter how large and heavily fortified, could be so important but figured that was why he was out here obeying orders rather than giving them. Sasuke pulls his eye from the bridge to look over at the jounin. "Perhaps... I may be able to destroy the barrier," he says hesitantly, not sure about making promises he can't keep. It's just a bridge, right? He can destroy a bridge easy enough, it's this barrier he's not sure. It's constructed using seals, something he's not too experienced in.

The jounin's eyes widen. "Seriously? I will overlook the fact that you have been here watching us fail for hours if you can just take down the barrier. What did you have in mind?"

Sasuke stares at the flowing bubble of chakra before standing up. "I'm going to absorb the chakra in the barrier. Be ready to destroy it when the barrier is finally down."

"Wait," the jounin commander says, glancing over at the barrier, "how are you going to do that?"

"Just worry about your role and I'll take care of mine," Sasuke says, making a run toward the barrier, dodging and blocking kunai and shuriken thrown his way. He had to backtrack a bit to avoid a bomb tag before opening his other eye and summoning Susanoo's ribs to offer him a bit more protection. The appearance of the strange purple bones around Sasuke gave allies and enemies alike a moment of pause, allowing Sasuke to get close enough to the barrier to reach out and touch it. It shocked him at first, making Susanoo's ribs tighten around him in reflex when he pulled back.

Shaking the static away, Sasuke reaches out again, opening his Rinnegan eye and focusing on the chakra. The seal tries to repel him again but he holds strong, using the Rinnegan to begin absorbing the chakra from the barrier, ignoring the crackling of the seal and creaking of Susanoo's ribs flexing around him.

The enemy quickly realizes what he's doing and tries a different approach, trying to circle around the barrier to get to him, but the Leaf ninja are already forming a protective perimeter around him as he absorbs the seal. As Sasuke was pulling in the chakra, he had to wonder if this seal was infinitely powered. If that was the case then this was a losing battle. He could hear the Iwa and Kumo shinobi battling against the Leaf, trying to get to Sasuke.

He forces the sounds away, trying to focus. He has to get the barrier down, right? If he can do this, then maybe he won't need to be watched twenty-four-seven anymore. While it's been a real hoot and all, Sasuke is more of small groups or alone kind of guy. An annoying blond and his three brats weren't all that interesting to Sasuke.

Maybe it would have been smarter if Minato had gone on this mission and the brats were left to their own devices. Kakashi was a jounin already, for Kami's sake! It should at least give him the ability to lead a small group. What could go wrong? Why was this mission so important that Minato wanted to stay when he already admitted before Sasuke left that Kakashi probably would have been able to handle leading their mission without Minato there to supervise. Sasuke didn't understand and just didn't have the time to worry about it now.

Sasuke was absorbing the chakra in the seal quickly, but not quick enough. The Leaf ninja around him were tiring quickly, they had been out here for so long, they don't count as a true standing force. The longer this takes, the more casualties pile on. Sasuke's Mangekyo spins in his eye, pulling the rest of Susanoo's body through, his bones, skin, armor wrapping around him until he's a floating purple god, roaring so loud everyone nearby had to cover their ears for a moment. Susanoo lifts his arms and brings them down on the barrier with tremendous strength.

The first hit makes the barrier bow inward before snapping back into it's original form. The second one sends a latticework of cracks through it as Sasuke is not only damaging it making it use it's chakra to repair itself, but also sucking out the chakra into his hand. The third hit makes the cracks larger and span the entire bubble. Sasuke can hear people yelling behind him. He ignores them and pushes the chakra he's absorbing into Susanoo, whom roars again, rears back and brings both fists down on the top of the barrier, shattering it into thousands of pieces that fly like shrapnel through the air. Ninja from all three sides dive out of the way trying to avoid being skewered.

Sasuke took a piece to the cheek, slicing it open easily. But as the chakra fades from the shards, they disappear into thin air. The tips of Sasuke's fingertips on his left hand are singed a bit and tingling from having lightning coursing through them. Luckily his element is lightning and he has a natural affinity for it, and then add on top of that, with his new Rinnegan, it's even more powerful.

Sasuke shakes his hand around a bit, trying to bring feeling back into it before glancing over at the bodies laying around, trying to get back on their feet in their shock. Sasuke looks over at the bridge Susanoo rears back again, bringing a fist down onto the wood panels. They crack and yield but there is something tougher underneath that a single hit wouldn't destroy. Susanoo pulls back again and with both fists this time, smashes the wood and whatever was beneath it. The bridge groans in pain.

The blue haired boy closes his Rinnegan eye and sends Susanoo away, pulling out his sword, he turns toward the enemy shinobi nearby, clambering to their feet, intermixed with the Leaf, and began to walk amongst them, tapping them with his sword and paralyzing them. There was just something despicable about just killing them when they were already writhing on the floor in pain that Sasuke just didn't have in him.

For the next few hours, they take lots of prisoners, destroy the bridge and Sasuke is told that he can return to his original post with the thanks of all the shinobi present. So maybe he's not making enemies out of everyone. That's a start, right?

* * *

It took a few hours, but by nightfall, Sasuke had found his way to Minato and his team, surprised by how off course from their mission they were. When he got there, Rin was standing next to Minato, looking up at him with thin brows pulled together tightly and Kakashi and Obito were sitting before Minato, heads bowed, legs tucked beneath them and hands on their thighs. Minato stood over them with his hands settled on trim hips and his lips curved down in a frown.

"That was exceedingly foolish of both of you," Minato was saying, not pausing in his chastisement when Sasuke arrived. "Not only did you put your own lives in danger, but Rin's as well. I told you I was only going to be gone for an hour and in that time, Rin was kidnapped, you two were attacked, Kakashi lost an eye, and then you hunted down Rin's kidnappers without once thinking about notifying me about your exploits?" Minato asks calmly, with a flat undertone that makes both boys bow their heads more.

Sasuke notices the wrapping around Kakashi's head, eye widening slightly in surprise. So _this_ is when he lost his eye?

"Not only that," Minato continues, "but then you confronted Rin's kidnappers, compromised the structure of the cave you were all trapped and nearly got yourselves killed. Is there any part I'm missing?"

Obito looks up at Minato, hesitantly, black eyes wide. "Um, Rin is safe!" He smiles boyishly happy about that. In the short time Sasuke has known younger Obito, it's painfully obvious that he's in love with his female teammate. Much of this is later repeated in Sasuke's team that's scary. He almost thinks that they are copying his team, but, they came first!

"Obito..." Rin says softly, glancing down at him. "Sensei... it's true, they did save me."

"Truthfully," Kakashi says plainly, "Sensei saved all of us. We just woke Rin up and killed those two Iwa ninja. If sensei hadn't been there..." He glances over at a shrinking Obito. His already pale face looses what little color it had and Sasuke had to wonder what happened.

"Never mind all of that," Minato says, sighing. He runs a hand through wild blond hair. "What matters is that all three of you are safe. Next time I hope we can use better judgment. Yes?"

All three of the students nod eagerly, anything to get them out of being in trouble. "Yes, sensei!"

"Good," Minato sighs, rubbing the back of his head for a moment before turning to Sasuke and smiling tiredly. "Hello, Sasuke. How was your mission? Everything work out alright?"

Sasuke nods. "Yep. Everything... good here?" Sasuke asks curiously.

Minato nods as well. "Yes. We best head back to the main camp and let them know that both of our missions were a success. Come, Obito, Rin, Kakashi." Kakashi and Obito both jump to their feet and nod. Kakashi reaches up and rubs the side of his head, as if the blood is rushed to his head. Sasuke tilts his head to the side in confusion.

When does Kakashi get the Sharingan? It was Obito's right? They thought Obito died somehow...

"Let's head back now," Minato says, then turns completely to Sasuke. "Are you coming too, Sasuke... eh? What's wrong?"

Sasuke turns away and starts racing toward the camp, unable to hide the disturbed look on his face.

* * *

That night, Sasuke slept up in one of the trees overlooking the camp. "Sleep" being a very relative term. His thoughts kept him awake. All the way back to the camp, Minato kept probing him, trying to get Sasuke to tell him what had happened, but Sasuke didn't open his mouth once, not even to tell the blond that he was being annoying, which became a given in almost every conversation the two had now.

Obito was suppose to die today. Or, "die", since he would still be living. Madara was suppose to find him and then turn into the man that would one day destroy the world. Or try to, at least. Sasuke is aware that this might not be his reality, but how could it be any different? Sasuke being here meant that he was able to go and destroy that bridge, allowing Minato to stay with his team and ultimately save Obito from being separated from the rest of them.

But Kakashi lost his eye and now wouldn't have a Sharingan to put in it's place. Now, any chance of him becoming the Copy Cat Ninja is gone. He will now never be Kakashi of the Sharingan. These were just simple facts, and yet for some reason, it left Sasuke with a horrible pit in his gut. Somehow, this time he wanted to do right by his sensei, but taking away one of the most powerful tools the gray haired man had in the future that probably saved his life on multiple occasions was not how he planned on doing that.

In fact, without the Sharingan, Kakashi may never make it to when Sakura, Naruto and little him are born. He probably won't be the legendary shinobi he was in Sasuke's time.

He may be unable to be a shinobi of high caliber without another eye. That's a major handicap and while he was able to go through daily life without his eye on that side, he always had the option to use it. Rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

And he no longer has it. His own eye, or Obito's.

Sasuke doesn't want Obito to die, not really. He ended up helping them in the end and in a twisted way, Sasuke can understand wanting to make the world a better place, but with Obito alive now, Sasuke may never be able to express to Kakashi what he meant to him as a teacher. Well, _he _wouldn't be able to, that would be weird, but he would be able to beat into younger him to appreciate all those around him that selflessly want only to help him.

But that may never be possible now. Sure, Obito is alive and that's all good for him, Sasuke supposes, but now he has no idea what Madara will do without an Uchiha to instill his own hatred into what will happen with The Moon-Eye plan? How is Sasuke going to fix this now? How the hell is he going to make this up to all his friends if they all fucking _die _before he can even figure out who the enemy is?

Just because Obito "The Dumbass" Uchiha practically told everyone "I'm the bad guy, come and get me!" and made a huge ass skeptical about it, doesn't mean the next person will. What the actual hell is Sasuke going to do now?

Sasuke buries his head into his hands.

True to practically all his past actions, Sasuke only serves to somehow ruin other's lives.

"I fucked up," Sasuke says to himself, and the darkness around him. "I fucked up bad."


	6. Watched

**Author's Note: I am so sorry about the wait! I have been working a lot, doing other stories and just dealing with life in general that I haven't really had the time or inspiration to write for this story. I am so sorry! I do love hearing everything yall have to say, you are all so kind! I'm a little iffy on this chapter, but I'm sniffing a bit of a plot starting to form, which is always nice. Anyway, I would love to hear all that you have to say! I'm going to bed now, goodnight!**

**Warnings: Language, OOCness, unbeta'd.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. The idea was brought to me by RedGoddessEclipse and asked me to write it for her. :3**

**Word Count: 5,094**

"We're going back to Konoha for a little bit," Minato says, pulling Sasuke from his thoughts. He was staring out over the camp from the tree branch that has sort of become his sleeping place whenever he was in this camp. It's been a little over a month since Kakashi lost his eye and a lot of time was dedicated to teaching Kakashi how to deal with his handicap.

Sasuke even had a little bit to do with it. Sasuke was able to get used to his own handicap. Yes, he still had his eye, but didn't use it often anymore so it was a form of selective handicap. He was able to relate, though, so that's what matters. Or at least, it mattered enough to Minato to keep pestering him until he gave in. Damn, the man was worse than Naruto! There was just no winning against the Yellow Flash.

He was able to be annoying as all hell like Naruto, but he didn't have the same short fuse that Naruto did. So even though Sasuke was certain he was being a pain in the ass back to the older blond, the man usually didn't bat an eyelash at him. The most annoyed Sasuke has ever seen Minato express was a sigh, a rub of the shoulders and a droll look at the person who annoyed him; which was Obito. But he never got mad. He never raised his voice. He never got stressed out or lost his head.

This man was infuriating in how perfect he was.

The worst about all of it wasn't because he was Naruto's father, and annoying as hell like the younger blond. He wasn't loud and obnoxious and fidgety like Naruto was. He was in fact, the complete opposite. He was quiet and even after being denied, he would just stare at Sasuke with this impossibly keen blue eyes, like he was trying to persuade the blue haired boy with his mind. He was definitely stubborn and persistent like Naruto, though. He didn't give up until Sasuke had begrudgingly agreed to train Kakashi. At least in the sense of his handicap. Even then, Sasuke didn't know what to really teach him.

Sasuke could handle his handicap. His eyes were fast and keen enough for it. So he just taught young Kakashi what he learned his own sensei did when he kept the Sharingan hidden. He used his other senses. He became very strong in that ability. It became second nature to be able to focus a good portion of his hearing to that one side to make up for not using his eye.

Sasuke thought that he was fucking with Might Guy when he always asked if Guy had said something, after the man spent the better part of two minutes blabbering on about one thing or another (and most of the time, Sasuke feels it's safe to assume he was) but some of the time, he really couldn't hear him that well. Kakashi usually has his hearing focused on his non-dominant side.

After joining Orochimaru's side, Sasuke had plenty of time to reflect on things of the past and think about trivial things like that. He was able to analyze why his sensei was the way he was. He began to realized that when someone was more positioned toward his dominant side, where his ear was exposed, he would glance over at them while they were talking - reading their lips - whereas he usually didn't when they were on the other side because he could hear them perfectly fine. It was something odd that Sasuke had pondered in his spare time when he was meditating, it kept his mind keen and focused.

So Sasuke taught him to do that. He taught him to divert his sense of hearing to that ear, primarily. Use it to manipulate his handicap. Just because he didn't have an eye over there, didn't mean that he was completely helpless.

Kakashi took to the training immediately, picking up the trait like a genius would. It would have been a little odd otherwise, had the young boy been unable to pick up this form of training, since the Kakashi that taught Sasuke was the one who used it. After Sasuke had explained to Kakashi - and Minato who oversaw their training - his idea, both seemed pleased. Which was... good, Sasuke supposed.

"So are you really an Uchiha?" Obito had asked what feels like that thousandth time since Sasuke met him.

"No," Sasuke said flatly, dodging a strike by the white haired genius.

"Really?" Obito asked from the sidelines.

Sasuke caught Kakashi's foot and tossed him away, looking over at Obito blandly. "Ask me one more time."

Obito's face lit up. "Oh! Are you an Uchiha?"

"No," Sasuke said, looking away again. Obito pouted while Rin giggled softly and Minato smiled, amused.

"Sasuke?" Minato says softly, pulling Sasuke from his thoughts and the small, strange memory of Obito while Sasuke was training Kakashi to use this new ability but in battle.

Sasuke looks over at the blond man, perched at the end of the branch that Sasuke basically claimed as his home in this camp. He takes a moment to really shake the memory away before turning his attention to the blond man. "What?" Sasuke sighs, pursing his lips a bit. "What did you say to me?"

Minato tilts his head slightly, the moonlight cast flattering shadows across his handsome face, through the branches of the trees. He blinks slowly, long lashes casting even longer shadows against his cheeks. "Are you tired, Sasuke?" Minato asks softly.

Sasuke frowns at that, wanting to tell the older man to mind his own business, but at the thought of it makes Sasuke yawn, betraying the snide comment that he was going to throw at the blond. Sasuke blushes and looks away, mouth snapping shut, reaching up and scratching his throat, annoyed.

Minato smiles kindly. "Perhaps you should sleep in a tent tonight?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke says dismissively. "Was that what you wanted?"

Minato shakes his head. "No, I said that we are going to need to head back to Konoha for a little bit. We'll be heading out late tomorrow morning, since we just got back into camp."

"We?" Sasuke asks. "Are we taking the brats?"

Minato smiles. "I told you, stuck to me like glue." Minato laughs at that. "Just like I am to you."

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Annoying."

"They aren't so bad," Minato says kindly. "You intrigue them, that's all."

Sasuke gives him a bland stare. "I wasn't talking about them. I was talking about you."

Minato grins broadly, obviously amused, blue eyes twinkling in the dim light. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were referring to the kids. I apologize. What have I done that annoys you?"

"What haven't you done?" Sasuke says blandly.

Minato stares at him with the lightest shade of blue that Sasuke has ever seen. Naruto's eyes were blue, and so was Ino's, but neither had been as light as Minato's. His were almost more white than blue anyway. They were such a pretty color, and while Sasuke has never been one to care for physical appearances, he has come to admit to himself that the future Fourth is quite the handsome man.

It's a shame that Naruto was born with a foot for a face, seeing as his father was as handsome as he was.

In the near two months since he met the Fourth Hokage - er, future Fourth Hokage... Maybe - Sasuke has come to find traits about the man that aren't as annoying as he maybe previously thought or after having seen them for the first time, at all. Minato is very level headed. Nothing seems to break through his calm. The only person who seems to draw any sort of negative reaction from Minato is Obito, and that's with the Uchiha boy's lateness. He's not angry, just exasperated.

Sasuke had no idea what the black haired boy was always doing that made him so late all the time, but he had to suspect that not only was it the same thing that Kakashi used to do when he was late to everything, but he suspected that Minato knew what he was doing and while it annoyed him that the boy was late, he didn't ever call him out on whatever it was that he was doing. Sasuke is slightly curious as to what the boy does, but ultimately, if they are going to be spending a lot of time together through Minato, then he's sure he'll figure it out.

Minato isn't like Naruto. Not really. His mannerisms are a lot more mature than Naruto, even when only about ten years separated them. Maybe ten years is really a lot. Sasuke didn't know.

"Sasuke?" Minato calls out, tilting his head a little bit more.

Sasuke adjusts a bit against the trunk of the tree, the hard bark pressing into his back a bit. Minato stands, perfectly perched on the same branch Sasuke's sitting on. When the blond appeared there to talk to him, Sasuke had to straddle the tree, a leg dangling over both sides of the branch to make room.

"What?" Sasuke says, letting out a deep breath, staring at Minato with both eyes. He's since grown tired of staring at Minato with one eye. The man already knows about his Rinnegan, when it's just them, it doesn't really matter if he relaxes a bit.

Minato shrugs his shoulders a bit. "I'm not sure. You seem like you want to ask me something."

Sasuke stares at him for a moment before saying, slowly, "How do you do that?"

Minato blinks. "Do what?"

"Read me like an open book?" Sasuke asks. "It's really annoying."

Minato, from his crouched position, slowly lowers down to the branch, sitting on his right foot while his left dangles over the side. "Do you think that I can read you easily?"

Sasuke scowls at the older boy. "Don't you?"

Minato smiles. "Perhaps it seems that way and while I get feelings, I'm still learning about you as you are learning about me," he says sagely. "To be honest, I love interacting with people like you." He smiles.

Sasuke frowns. "What does that mean? 'People like me'."

Minato holds up his hands to show he meant no harm. "No need to get mad. I'll tell you what I meant." Sasuke glares at him to continue. "I just like talking to people who are introverted. I believe that they are the most forward thinkers. I like people who speak their mind and don't let others dictate who they are. Independent people, I think, are my favorite." He smiles more.

Sasuke's annoyance subsides. "Okay..."

Minato's smile crests his eyes, surrounding them and his nose with crinkles. "So I meant no offense. I just prefer to surround myself with those types of people. Which is probably why I have a bit more inkling toward what you are thinking but trust me, I am no expert. I don't know all that you are thinking, but I do enjoy watching you." He laughs when Sasuke glares at him again.

Sasuke shakes his head. "You are so annoying."

Minato laughs. "I'm sorry." He didn't sound all that apologetic.

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "Whatever. So why are we going back to Konoha?"

Minato's face falls neutral. "Well, thankfully it's nothing bad. We actually are offered leave for about a week for all of our hard work before we are deployed again, so that we can go see family."

Sasuke blinks in surprise. Family? Of course. Naruto's mom - whoever she is - must be waiting back in Konoha for Minato. Not that she couldn't be a shinobi...

Sasuke didn't know. On one hand, he could see a powerful man like Minato taking a wife that was the stay-at-home mom that wasn't a shinobi but maybe a merchant, or perhaps she just stayed home to care for the kids without having another job on top of that. He can envision her being dainty and soft spoken. Motherly and nurturing.

But on the other hand, he can also envision that she's a shinobi. That a powerful man like him needs an equally powerful woman at his side to balance out. She could still be motherly and nurturing, but also be ferocious and deadly on the battlefield.

Sasuke wasn't sure, though. He barely believes that Minato was Naruto's father. He's not sure what to expect from Naruto's mother. Unlike Minato, Sasuke could meet Naruto's mom and have no idea it's her until Minato says.

It's just so strange to think.

But besides all of that, on to more personal issues; Sasuke going to Konoha. While he's sure he can survive a week long reprieve from war, because it is starting to wear him down as the days go on, he's not sure what he's going to do. He has thankfully been accumulating some money now that he's under Konoha's payroll once more, but he's not sure where he's going to go or what he's going to do back there.

"I don't need the reprieve," Sasuke says slowly.

Minato stares back at him, an unreadable look on his face. "Are you worried about what you are going to do back in Konoha?" Minato asks.

_Can't read him like an open book, bullshit! _Sasuke stares back at him, frowning.

Sasuke doesn't respond, just stares back at the blond haired man. Minato blinks a few times, tilting his head to the side a bit. After thinking about it for a moment, a playful smile spreads across Minato's face. "I'm sorry," he says, sheepishly. "Don't worry about that. If you need a place to stay, you can stay with me while we are back in Konoha." He shrugs his shoulders, nonchalantly.

Sasuke gives him a droll look. He couldn't stand the mandatory time he has to spend with the blond, he's not about to volunteer his free time to being with the man. While there are worst people he could be forced to spend his time with, Sasuke's sure he'll be able to survive for a week on his own, even if he has to do a few D-rank missions to pay for a inn for a few days.

Especially now that he knows that time will be his own. He won't _have _to be with Minato for this week. While he's sure the man will have a way of getting to him quickly, it's nice to know that he is going to have that little bit of freedom that he has been pathetically clawing at for the last month and a half. In a very minute way, he is thankful for the offer, but the prospect of finally getting a bit of alone time to do whatever the fuck he wants is just a little too enticing to simply pass on because of something as simple as a place to stay.

"Don't worry about me," Sasuke says. "Any time away from you is cherished."

Minato puts a hand on his chest, his small smile never leaving his lips. "You wound me."

Sasuke shakes his head. "Oh how I wish that was true."

Minato laughs, soft and breathy. Nothing about this man was loud other than his shock of blond hair. His entire personality is quiet, respectful and calm, whereas his bright, messy blond hair is all like "Look at me!"

At least he doesn't wear the kill-me-orange that Naruto is famous for. Now that would be a real shame. How Naruto could through seventeen years of his life - or his entire life, that is - wearing that horrible orange color, he will never know.

Because he will never be able to ask.

Sasuke quickly forces that thought away, not wanting to explore it once again. Thoughts of his timeline and the people in it have been the center of many of his thoughts since he met the Fourth Hokage and is slowly, but surely, being forced to face where he came from and how he's never going to be able to return - if there is anything to return to anyway.

He hasn't come to full terms with what he's gone through and what he's lost. He is, sort of. It's slow going, but he is thinking about his life thoroughly. While it's bleak and lacks any direction, unlike what he can say for everyone else in his timeline, at least he is alive. And while that leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. Just being alive is it's own version of peace.

Even though he doesn't have much to live for, no matter what he may think on his off moments or what he says, Sasuke wants to live. He wants to be alive even though he doesn't know what he's living for.

For now, himself, will just have to do.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Minato asks, finally sombering up.

Sasuke closes his eyes and lets out a low sigh. "Shut up."

* * *

Being back in Konoha - or being back for the second time? - is a bit... strange. It's not necessary a bad feeling, like he originally thought that it would. It's just... odd. He's not sure how else to explain it other than there is a mutual sense of longing for his home - his real home - and a sense of relief that this was the new beginning that he had been hoping for.

Sasuke has a desire that has been building up in him since he began thinking about his life again. More specifically, he's been thinking about his big brother. Itachi, who sacrificed everything in order to save him - from Danzo, from the Uchiha, from any number of things - was so very different from him. He saw the world in a way that Sasuke could not. Or did not. And he's been curious about it. He has wanted to continue his time wondering the world to try and find a way to understand how his brother became who he was, and what more the world has to offer.

While that is still what he ultimately wants to do; travel the world, but he's been entertaining the idea of being able to go to the Konoha of this time, and see if he can see it in the way that Itachi saw the Konoha that he and Sasuke were born in. If it was something that he had to see from an entirely different angle - or in this case, timeline - to be able to tell what it was that made his brother love Konoha so.

Sasuke is aware that he will ultimately never know, but it makes him feel better and more justified in returning with Minato and his team. While he's not sure he will be able to ever feel at home in Konoha, especially this one, he is interested in being able to see it from an entire different angle than before. With an entirely different mindset.

It's strange to think, just months ago, if he had walked through the gates to Konohagakure no Sato, it would be to destroy it. Not like how he was going into Konoha yesterday afternoon. Obito, of course, was the most outwardly vocal about his pleasure upon finally returning home. Rin was equally pleased, but much more subdue about it, while Kakashi seemed indifferent to it. Sasuke was mildly curious, but figured he could guess why Konoha had very little to offer Kakashi. The death of his father. Without Sakumo, there was no one for Kakashi to return home to. And, as usual, Minato seems completely impassive, his true thoughts well hidden behind his handsome, impassive face.

Sasuke splits away from Minato and his team as soon as he possibly can, waving his hand around dismissively when the blond called out to him. It was easy to find an open inn that was willing to book him for the week. Sasuke drops his meager belongings, a simple pack with his storage scrolls, onto the floor along with his cloak next to his bed and drops down onto the bed, groaning aloud when his back melts into the mattress. It has been way too long since he's last slept in the bed and he's paying for it.

He hadn't realized how bad his back was hurting until the moment he relaxed into the mattress.

Sasuke enjoys the entire day in his inn room, looking through his scrolls, taking a shower - a real shower not just a dip in the lake to wash away the sweat of the day - and then lounging around until nighttime, then going to bed and actually sleeping after he sealed up the room to keep everyone out. He felt Minato's seal on the back of his neck burn as if to remind him that Minato could break through the seals easily. Sasuke didn't care and it wasn't so much to keep Minato out, but anyone else, and the burning only lasted for a few seconds before subsiding.

Sasuke is relieved the next morning. His mood is significantly higher than it usually is. It's definitely contributed to his first good night sleep since long before even coming to this timeline. Perhaps he really could have been so crabby because of his lack of adequate sleep. While it didn't really affect his performance on the field or in every day conversation, it was affecting his mood and temper.

After showering again, because after not having it for months, its not surprising that he missed it so much, he finally leaves his room and goes to a little shop to sit down and eat, and then he walks around Konoha, keeping his presence low so that he blends into the bustling crowd and doesn't really draw the attention of the ninja that was patrolling the village. He wasn't hiding from them, and he knew that some were keen enough to spot him, and daring enough to follow him, but he didn't want to have them affect his good mood.

He wanted to see the Leaf Village in a new light. So traveling through it like a stranger, because he was here in this Konoha, and while everything looks pretty similar, he wasn't alive at this time so he can't accurately say whether it is the exact same or not. It's still a few years before he's even born, he thinks.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke raises his eyes from watching the dirt path in front of him to see an ANBU standing in front of him. The flow of people going from shop to shop through the market district skirt around him, giving the man a wide berth, but cast him curious looks as to why he had stepped out of the shadows.

Sasuke stops walking a few feet in front of him. "What?" Sasuke asks, blankly.

"The Hokage has requested your presence," the ANBU says, voice completely devoid of all emotion. Like a true dog to the Leaf government. No, Sasuke wasn't going to let this ruin the good mood that he's in for the first time in forever. He's just going to have to bend knee to the will of the old man and go see him. Request, was a nice word for him to use, but Sasuke knew that wasn't the case. If Sasuke refused to go, there would be a lot louder a situation on his hands.

"Fine," Sasuke says blandly. He kind of hopes that this doesn't mean that he's going to be working for the Hokage his entire leave in Konoha. It almost seems unfair, to say the least.

Sasuke body flickers away. He doesn't even bother to knock on the door to the Hokage's office, which only aggravates the ANBU at the door. Hiruzen isn't alone in his office, Minato is there with him, and he waves his hand dismissively to the two ANBU for them to leave. They hesitate for a moment before closing the door softly behind them when they exit.

"Thank you for coming," the Third says, interlacing his fingers on his desk. "How have you been, Sasuke?"

Sasuke stares at him blankly. "Peachy," he says after almost a full minute of silence. Minato smiles, as if amused. Sasuke glares at him. "Shut the hell up."

Minato looks surprised, but still amused. "I didn't say anything, Sasuke!"

Sasuke shakes his head slowly. "You don't have to say anything, Minato. Your smug look says it all."

Minato laughs. "I'm not smug! When am I ever smug?" Sasuke stares at him before shaking his head.

"I'm not going to dignify that blatant lie with a response," Sasuke says, a touch of humor to his voice - he really is in a good mood - and turns to the Hokage. "I'm fine, I suppose. What do you need?"

Hiruzen, who watched the exchange with narrow, calculating eyes, finally says, slowly, "You two seem to be getting along well."

"Sorry," Sasuke mutters, "it won't happen again." Minato smiles, but says nothing.

"Minato has been sending me frequent reports about your time together, but I wanted to speak to you in person. Do you mind?" Hiruzen asks.

Did it really matter even if he did? The man was the Hokage. It wasn't like he could say, "fuck off" and leave. Well, he could, but he images the rest of his day would be a hell od a lot less pleasant than his morning was.

"What do you want to know?" Sasuke asks instead, figuring it was the safer route.

"I hear there is a bit of friction between yourself and the Leaf shinobi," Hiruzen says simply.

"Yeah," Sasuke says, voice flat. "They are a bunch of ignorant twats. No offense, but I would much sooner trust a ravenous dog to watch my back then people who force their own into suicide because he decided that human life meant more than a fucking mission."

"Even if by failing the mission more people died as a result?" the Third asks smoothly, not as all visibly ruffled by his words. Which Sasuke is thankfully for, since he's being his callous self without fail.

"If the decision ends up being wrong, then that is something that one must live with," Sasuke says simply. "If you believe one thing, sacrifice everything for someone you care about, die, even for that cause. Only those involved in the direct action of the tragedy has any right to judge him for his actions. He did what he had to, there was no other choice. Death shouldn't have been his only option. He was a fucking hero and this village, those _people _treated him like a monster. Said and did things that he never blamed them for. He died with a smile on his face for a bunch of _monsters,_" Sasuke hisses, surprised by his own rage.

Minato and the Third Hokage both stare at him without speaking, as if letting him get his rage out. It's at that moment that Sasuke realized how much he said, how much he gave away. He was speaking about Sakumo - to a degree - but he was also speaking about someone else. Someone more near and dear to his heart. Someone he didn't know what to think about anymore. Other than thinking that he is the only decent human being - kami, more like a damned hero - in the entire world.

Itachi.

After learning the truth and being back in Konoha, he never really got to process what happened there either. Which isn't a surprise. That seems to be the common theme with everything that's going on.

Sasuke went right to the battleground after he learned about Madara and Hashirama's past, but this went back in time a bit, to when Obito told him his biased version of the truth. While the events seem to be on point in both stories, Itachi, while probably forced to kill their clan, also did it because that was what he believed was right. He didn't trust anyone else to kill their family because it was theirs. As sick and twisted as it is, if someone was going to kill the Uchiha, it's only right that it is one. Anyone else and it would have been insulting.

Sasuke doesn't believe that his clan should have to die, but it is his brother's choice what happens to the family because he was the heir at the time and one day would be the leader. If Itachi wanted to destroy the Uchiha clan, as it's one day leader, it is his sick right to.

The parallels between Sakumo Hatake and Itachi Uchiha is a little... concerning. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, even though Minato and Hiruzen were the only ones in the room with Sasuke and there was a bunch of ANBU in the ceiling, no doubt waiting for Sasuke to slip and make a mistake so that they can take him down.

Sasuke feels it, at that moment. At first, it made sense being in the situation that he was. But then, he couldn't help the feeling that he was being watched. Not by Hiruzen or Minato, or the ANBU in the ceiling. He was being watched by someone or someones else. Their eyes burning through him intensely. It made his skin crawl and the feeling that he was very much in grave danger claws at the back of his mind.

Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.


End file.
